NaVorro Bowman is getting closer to returning to the San Francisco 49ers' lineup and has somehow gotten faster as he recovers from his ACL injury.

“I talked to him the other day in the weight room before I left and he was all excited ‘cause he had gotten to run a full-speed 40 for the first time in a long time and broke the 4.5 range — it was in the 4.5 range,” Trent Baalke said, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “So he was all excited. But he’s coming along very well. When he’s set to return remains to be seen. But progressing well, as is Patrick (Willis).”

Bowman ran a 4.70 at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, and followed that up with a 4.62 at his pro day workout at Penn State.