Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
49ers rookie Javon Kinlaw a ‘man amongst boys,’ impressing his new teammates
Aug 16, 2020 at 2:12 PM
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Rookie defensive tackle
Javon Kinlaw is making a good first impression on his new San Francisco 49ers teammates. The first-round pick has stood out during the team's two practices, and that isn't just because of his play during drills.
Kinlaw is just massive and easy to spot while mixed in with all the 49ers players on the practice fields at the SAP Performance Facility.
"I'm glad to have another South Carolina guy on the D-line, on the team, period," defensive tackle
D.J. Jones told reporters on Sunday via a video conference call. "I think that makes three now. He's a man amongst boys. He's got so much potential. He's strong as an ox, and I can't wait to see him suit up and play."
Running back Jerick McKinnon has been impressed by what he's seen from the rookie defender and doesn't expect to see a defensive-line drop-off in 2020.
"We lost [DeForest Buckner], but we added Kinlaw, and he's probably one of the biggest humans I've ever seen," McKinnon said. "He has a big upper body, big lower body, big quads. Everything on him is just big. But that D-line is definitely the toughest in the league, by far."
Linebacker Kwon Alexander agrees. He can't wait for Monday when 49ers players finally take part in their first padded practice.
"That whole D-line is going crazy. It's still the same," Alexander said on Sunday. "The coach still got them going crazy up front. We just can't wait to get these pads on so we really can see what's going on, how those guys work together, so we can work off them."
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