SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Elvis Dumervil is 33 years old and about to enter his 11th season in the NFL.

So he's seen guys come and go in the league -- "You know, this isn't for everybody," he says -- and now finds himself with the San Francisco 49ers, a seen-it-done-it player brought in "to help change the culture here." He was with the Broncos when they brought in an athletic free spirit named Von Miller as the second pick of the 2011 draft.

As Dumervil tipped his head back a bit to lean into the summer sun Thursday afternoon, perhaps to help kick in the memories a bit, he could only marvel at what he sees now.

"I see now what I thought I would see then," Dumervil said. "When he first came in as a rookie, you saw it in practice and you'd be like, 'All right,' and then you'd really look at him on film and you'd say, 'Oh, shoot, now this is for real.' On his first day he ran full speed and we all just kind of looked at each other. I just see everything in him right now -- good leader, Super Bowl MVP, Pro Bowl every year. Look at him, what else can you say? He's right where I thought he'd be."

But ask Miller about how he made the transition from potential to production, about who helped him be more than a football hopeful, and he'll offer two names before any others. Ask him how he rebounded from his suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy and a torn ACL in 2013, and Miller will quickly credit DeMarcus Ware. Miller said he "owes more than I could ever describe to DeMarcus." Ware, who signed with the Broncos in free agency in 2014, helped guide Miller back from the edge, Miller has always said.

The other name, the player who introduced Miller to the NFL and opened up a library's worth of information about sacking quarterbacks in the NFL?

Well, that's easy.

"It's Elvis, no question," Miller said. "Before I met Elvis, I liked sacking the quarterback, getting in there, making things happen. Elvis is the guy who showed me first what it was going to take to do that in the National Football League. Elvis was the first guy to show me how to be a player in the National Football League, and what that is really about."

"We spent a lot of time together, a lot of time," Dumervil said with a laugh. "He's always been what was advertised as a player, but as a person he's got a lot of, well, personality. But he's got a great heart. As you get older you really start to enjoy the relationships you have, and Von is just a guy who makes people around him better, they feel better. That's an impact guy."

Dumervil was a fourth-round pick of the Broncos in 2006. He was part of what was Mike Shanahan's best draft class, one that included quarterback Jay Cutler (first round), tight end Tony Scheffler (second round), wide receiver Brandon Marshall (fourth round) and guard Chris Kuper (fifth round).

In six seasons with the Broncos, Dumervil topped 10 sacks three times, with a league-leading 17 in 2009. Miller arrived in 2011, and from then until Dumervil signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013, Miller did whatever he could to get as much information from Dumervil.

"Oh, all the time," Dumervil said. "Even Thanksgiving dinner. But that's why he is who he is. A lot of guys have gifts, but they don't make the most of them. ... Von, he's doing both."

"I feel like he's one of my blood brothers," Miller said. "He took me in when I was young and he basically showed me the whole script of bringing young guys in and showing them the ropes. That's where I learned it from, Elvis. I've said it before: Just with Elvis, Peyton [Manning] and Tim Tebow, and all of these great leaders that I had, Elvis was really the first one that showed me how to do it."

Dumervil played in eight games last season for the Ravens and finished with a career-low three sacks. Niners general manager John Lynch is a former teammate of Dumervil's -- they played together for the Broncos in 2006 and 2007 (Lynch's last two years in the league as a player) -- and Dumervil believes he can find a role in both the 49ers' defense and in the locker room as part of the team's rebuild under first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan.

And if prodded now, all these years later, Dumervil will admit he feels some pride in what Miller has done and what he believes Miller will still do.

"Oh yeah, I think there's more there," Dumervil said. "Von is one of those guys who comes in and he impacts a franchise, he takes you places, the best places."