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First, it's important to note that San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw doesn't typically provide lengthy answers to questions. It's just not his style. However, he did have a longer-than-usual response on Thursday when asked to identify a teammate who has been most helpful during his transition from the college game to the pros.
That player is sixth-year defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who has taken on a mentorship role with the first-year defender.
"I've been leaning on Arik a lot," Kinlaw said. "Just love getting some feedback from him. Just love watching film with him, and I've been watching film with him. And him just giving me little keys and little things to help me out, to help my game out a lot. So, I have definitely been leaning on Arik a lot."
Kinlaw joined the 49ers surrounded by high expectations. Not only was he drafted No. 14 overall, but general manager John Lynch and company used the selection (after trading down one spot) acquired from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for DeForest Buckner to grab the young defender. The expectation was to have the rookie help offset the loss of the Pro Bowl defensive tackle.
The respect and admiration between Kinlaw and Armstead aren't a one-way street. Kinlaw has shown enough through the shortened offseason and five weeks of the season to earn Armstead's esteem, too.
"I am really excited and impressed with Javon," Armstead told Damon Bruce, Ray Ratto, and Matt Kolsky on 95.7 The Game this week. "His maturity definitely stands out and how just from week one, from day one, he's been able to come in here and handle everything that comes along with playing in the league and playing a lot of snaps in the league.
"He's super mature. We need him out there. He's dependable, and we count on him to play big in games, and he's been doing that."
Kinlaw, who is far from a finished product, has shown flashes during his rookie campaign. With Armstead and others' help, the 49ers hope Kinlaw can develop into a force in the middle of the defensive line.
Ideally, the team would like for that to happen sooner rather than later. The once-potent unit has been devastated by injuries, including the losses of edge rushers
Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. The coaches had hoped to see Solomon Thomas have a breakout year, but he, like Bosa, suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Kinlaw remains his own toughest critic and feels he still has a lot of room for growth. Armstead is excited to watch that development.
"I love playing alongside of him, and it's been exciting to see," Armstead added. "I'm excited to watch him continue to grow and become an even better and better player."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Armstead below.
Steph Sanchez and MLFootball report that the San Francisco 49ers hosted former Georgia safety Javon Bullard on a pre-draft visit yesterday.
🚨EXCLUSIVE: Georgia star safety Javon Bullard had a TOP-30 visit with the San Francisco #49ers yesterday, sources tell @_MLFootball & @Steph49K. Bullard, 21-years-old is a very good athlete and is great in coverage.
The news of Arik Armstead's departure from the San Francisco 49ers after nine seasons with the team shocked linebacker Fred Warner. Armstead, a former first-round pick, was an impactful force on the football field. However, his availability over the last two seasons forced the 49ers to reevaluate his contract, and when his salary could not be significantly reduced, the two sides parted ways.
"Huge surprise," Warner said of learning that Armstead was being released. "Ever since I've been here, we called him the blueprint for how to be a Niner. That was the longest-tenured Niner that's been here and a guy that's done it right through and through."
Warner has been in the NFL long enough to understand how the league works. Over the years, he's watched several
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus unveiled a seven-round mock draft for the San Francisco 49ers, addressing several key needs for the team in the 10-pick projection. Interestingly, the mock draft sees the team adding two legacy players. But before delving into that, let's examine the first three selections.
Sikkema has the 49ers shoring up their offensive line at pick No. 31 with the selection of former Arizona offensive tackle Jordan Morgan.
Morgan allowed 14 pressures and two sacks in his 477 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle in 2023. He earned an impressive pass-blocking grade of 87.3 and an overall grade of
A sketchy rumor surfaced on Sunday morning, alleging that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had requested a trade.
BREAKING: Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade from the 49ers, per confirmation from my San Francisco source. Benjamin Allbright & 49ersSportsTalk have also done some preliminary reporting on this story. As of Sunday morning, April 14, the Steelers have been the… pic.twitter.com/plCkQo87lj— John Frascella (Football) (@LegendSports7)
