The San Francisco 49ers are seeking a space-eating defensive tackle who can threaten the pocket, according to Peter King of NBC Sports. Of course, that makes sense. The team had one in Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner before trading him away for the No. 13 overall draft pick, knowing that his salary was about to make things very uncomfortable for its cap situation.
That won't be a problem with a rookie.
San Francisco could seek a replacement in the draft, per King, who uses the word "desperate" to describe the team's desire to add another defensive lineman. He even offers an educated guess on which draft prospect the 49ers might be eyeing.
"Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw," writes King in his latest Football Morning in America column. "Another defensive lineman in the first round?!! This sounds crazy, and maybe it is, after all the first-round defensive-line capital the Niners have used up. (Consider Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, Nick Bosa in the last five drafts.) But I hear the Niners are desperate for a space-eating defensive tackle who can threaten the pocket, and that's what the 315-pound and athletic Kinlaw does."
Kinlaw certainly fits the profile of what King describes. The South Carolina defensive tackle racked up 10 sacks in his final two years with the Gamecocks while adding 65 tackles, 15 for a loss, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries during those seasons.
Kinlaw was selected to the All-SEC team and was a first-team All-American last season for South Carolina, and has shown to be a disruption force. But the young defensive lineman believes he can be even better.
"I haven't even scratched the surface to my pass rush," Kinlaw said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "A lot of the times, I just be out there bull-rushing, just walking guys back. So once I get that right coaching, the sky is the limit."
The 49ers have one of the best defensive line coaches in the league in Kris Kocurek, and Kinlaw just might be the type of prospect who can help the unit remain one of the dominant forces in the NFL.