The San Francisco 49ers made former UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis a sixth-round pick. He may not be available for the start of the 2022 season, though. Davis suffered a torn ACL in October, likely plummeting his draft stock and allowing San Francisco to select him with the No. 220 overall pick.
The 49ers hope Davis can replace another defensive tackle who left in free agency.
"Kalia Davis, he's a guy we see a lot of D.J. Jones in," general manager John Lynch said after the draft's conclusion on Saturday. "That type of explosion. Had an ACL injury. We're going to take our time to make sure Kalia is right, so I'm not sure if he'll be ready for the start of the regular season.
"He could be a PUP guy, but [we] really just love [him]. He fits exactly who we want to be as a defensive tackle, and we became very fond of him through the process."
On Saturday, Davis reminded reporters that he is five months out of surgery.
"I'm just going to get with the 49ers and their training staff," Davis said. "I can't wait to work with them. We're just going to take it from there."
Lynch said the 49ers examined Davis at the NFL Scouting Combine and got a good idea of where he was in his recovery. Then they saw him again when he visited the team in Santa Clara.
"I think we got a look at him during his 30 visit, which gave us some confidence about where he's at, but we're really going to have to get him in here," Lynch added. "So no judgment as to whether he's ready in training camp or not. We're just not there yet. But we felt good enough about the talent. It was worth it."
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