49ers select Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana at no. 90

Originally posted by Chance:
No one knows where he would have gone. KS said the had him as RB2 in this draft. If another team similarly had him graded high, he could have been taken earlier. And why wouldn't another team not had him high, he's a stud. I think consensus slept on him because he wasn't invited to the combine, and his workload (ie production) was split with another back. I'm sure the team would have loved to grab him later, but when you try to get cute with a guy that's somewhat off the radar, often you find another team grabs that guy before your next pick, at least that's what both DeCosta (Ravens) and Kyle expressed in recent interviews.

Agree 💯 %.

Guys like CMC, Saquon Barkley, Trent Williams etc.. will be gone before the 49ers pick, generally speaking. The ones just behind the blue chippers is where the, so called reach picks occur. But thats the range where you kind of have to guess which team will try to poach the player you are targeting before you do, and pick the player before he does.

I think it's easier to successfully poach Kyles draft picks in day one, than in day three. That's why I think ShanaLynch is so much more successful in the later rounds.

I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

i do think we wanted a short down usage power back. Black can do more than that with his pass blocking and his athlethic profile showing he is pretty quick as well so has some good potential as a route runner as seen in SB practice. But i think he sees field immiedetely in short down situaitons to get those first downs

Originally posted by Cg9erSF:
I watched his game tapes and thought the same thing. He runs with power and seems to pop out of log jams just like Gore and picks up blitzes pretty good also. I'm rooting for the young man.

Agree. CMC and Kaelon will make a good pair if Kaelon can play at the NFL level. As much as I like his highlights - I'm hoping he knocks the entire coaching staff's socks off and is the future once CMC decides to hang 'em up. Hope hope. The preseason can't get here fast enough.

I think one of the successes in Indiana's offense was him and their TE Nowakowski. Both could block downfield in open space. Bummer we didn't get both. Nowakowski made a big catch in the Penn St. game. SF did sign Penn St. TE Khalil Dinkins as a non-drafted FA. He looks physically imposing, something the announcers had to point out. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll be a gem. Didn't play that much.

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I agree with the bolded above. I view this pick as Juice's replacement starting in 2027.

Originally posted by NineFourNiner:

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I agree with the bolded above. I view this pick as Juice's replacement starting in 2027.

I looked at the Athletic Scores of Juszczyk and Dinkins and I don't know if he'll make it as Juice's replacement. What it does look like is that Dinkins is competing with Luke Farrel.
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Based on 2026 NFL Draft prospect data and historical NFL Combine records, Khalil Dinkins and Kyle Juszczyk represent different types of athletic profiles, with Juszczyk possessing a significantly higher overall Relative Athletic Score (RAS). Luke Farrell recorded a 8.62 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of a possible 10.00, based on his 2021 draft class testing. This score ranks him 129th out of 929 tight ends (TE) evaluated from 1987 to 2021, indicating a high-end "good" athletic profile

Kyle Juszczyk (2013): Recorded an elite 9.79 RAS out of 10.00, ranking 6th out of 241 fullbacks from 1987-2013.
Khalil Dinkins (2026): Scored an unofficial 7.91 RAS out of 10.00 as a tight end, ranking 285th out of 1356 tight ends from 1987-2026.

RAS Comparison Breakdown
Metric --- Khalil Dinkins (2026) --- Kyle Juszczyk (2013) --- Luke Farrell
Overall RAS -- 7.91 (Unofficial) -- 9.79 -- 8.62
Height -- 6' 4 1/4" -- 6' 1 2/8" -- 6'5" (98th percentile)
Weight -- 251 lbs -- 248 lbs (Pro Day) -- 250 lbs+ (79th percentile)
40-Yard Dash -- 4.72 s -- 4.60 s (Pro Day) -- 4.82 seconds (approx)
Vertical Jump -- 32.5" -- 37.0" (Pro Day) -- 36.5 inches (Very good)
Broad Jump -- 9' 11" -- 10' 01" (Pro Day) -- 118 inches (good)
3-Cone Drill -- 7.28 s -- 6.93 s (Pro Day) -- [ Agility: 4.33 20-yard shuttle (good)]

Key Takeaways
Athletic Profile: Juszczyk was a top-tier athlete for his position, showing elite agility and speed for a fullback. Dinkins is a "good" but not elite athlete at tight end, with his score hindered by a slower 40-yard dash and vertical jump compared to top prospect peers. Farrell is considered a tough, technical blocker, often described as a "Y" (inline) tight end. While his RAS indicates he is a good athlete for his size, scouts noted he plays at one speed and lacks a top-tier burst, making him more of a short-area and red-zone target rather than a vertical threat.

Positional Context: Dinkins' 7.91 RAS is a solid score, but his relative lack of top-end speed for a 6'4" tight end drops him below the elite threshold. Juszczyk's 9.79 put him in the top 1% of athletes at his position.

Strengths: Dinkins tested well in bench press (25 reps) and shuttle times (4.33s), showing strength and short-area quickness. Juszczyk showed exceptional explosive power (37" vertical) and superior agility (6.93 3-cone). Luke Ferrel: Role: Primarily a blocking tight end with solid in-line capability.

Comparison: A 2026 draft scouting report explicitly identified Luke Farrell as an NFL comp for Khalil Dinkins, highlighting their shared ability to play as a No. 3/blocking tight end.
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Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I know, this guy was a key contributer on a national championship team.

I don't understand why he wasn't invited to the combine.

Originally posted by ninerAxe:
Let's not forget Gore is a scout for the team. Probably had a say or contributed in some manner.

This is a great point that needed to be highlighted. You guys don't think they ask Gore's opinion on all the RBs? Of course they do.

Originally posted by captveg:

Originally posted by ninerAxe:
Let's not forget Gore is a scout for the team. Probably had a say or contributed in some manner.

This is a great point that needed to be highlighted. You guys don't think they ask Gore's opinion on all the RBs? Of course they do.

Gore wanted Washington.

Originally posted by glorydayz:

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I know, this guy was a key contributer on a national championship team.

I don't understand why he wasn't invited to the combine.

My guess is cause of his speed. Black has really nice burst and agility but not top end speed. You know how the draft works - workout numbers are critical for "potential". I disagree with that but it's part of the traditional evaluation. Black also wasn't a "starter", he shared the backfield.

I still think it's surprising but I think that's probably why he was an after thought.

Originally posted by tankle104:

Originally posted by glorydayz:

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I know, this guy was a key contributer on a national championship team.

I don't understand why he wasn't invited to the combine.

My guess is cause of his speed. Black has really nice burst and agility but not top end speed. You know how the draft works - workout numbers are critical for "potential". I disagree with that but it's part of the traditional evaluation. Black also wasn't a "starter", he shared the backfield.

I still think it's surprising but I think that's probably why he was an after thought.

Yea, its crazy to have a National Champion 3rd round RB not be invited to the combine. There are only a certain number of invites but I am sure he was better than at least one player at the combine.

Originally posted by glorydayz:

Originally posted by tankle104:

Originally posted by glorydayz:

Originally posted by jakedogg:
I just watched the Penn State/Indiana game on youtube. Classic ending. This guy showed he's very good carrying defensive players as he goes for the first downs. Then there's the excellent blocking. I could see him replacing the Juice at it. Get that first down on 3rd(or 4th) and short thereby extending drives for 2 minutes and help the defense. Looking forward to seeing him and he'll play a lot.

I know, this guy was a key contributer on a national championship team.

I don't understand why he wasn't invited to the combine.

My guess is cause of his speed. Black has really nice burst and agility but not top end speed. You know how the draft works - workout numbers are critical for "potential". I disagree with that but it's part of the traditional evaluation. Black also wasn't a "starter", he shared the backfield.

I still think it's surprising but I think that's probably why he was an after thought.

Yea, its crazy to have a National Champion 3rd round RB not be invited to the combine. There are only a certain number of invites but I am sure he was better than at least one player at the combine.

You can't tell me that in a weak ass RB class, he was such a bad prospect that 21 other running backs were better.

that's how many RbS were at the combine this year. Shocking

Originally posted by shorepatrol:

Originally posted by 49ersRing:
People hated it when we took Frank Gore in the third too.

Are you comparing this guy to Gore? MF please

Gore was coming off multiple injuries, including ACLs in both knees. People back then thought the niners were insane for using a third round pick on Gore zt the time, but he ended up being one of the best 3ed round picks ever.

Originally posted by tankle104:
My guess is cause of his speed. Black has really nice burst and agility but not top end speed. You know how the draft works - workout numbers are critical for "potential". I disagree with that but it's part of the traditional evaluation. Black also wasn't a "starter", he shared the backfield.

I still think it's surprising but I think that's probably why he was an after thought.

That's one of the reasons I initially panicked when the 49ers drafted him. He wasn't invited to the combine and he was in the dreaded annual drafted RB bust pick of Kyle Shanahan. On top of that I haven't even seen last years drafted RB pick play to make my own evaluations, so I thought Jordan James must have been a bust also. Knowing what I know now, I think (on paper) it's a brilliant pick.