Rookie defensive lineman Kentavius Street will not see the football field in 2018. As Street worked hard to prepare for the draft, he sustained a torn ACL in March during a private workout with the New York Giants. The injury typically takes about nine months to recover fully.

The San Francisco 49ers made Street a fourth-round selection (No. 128 overall) out of N.C. State. They were so impressed with him that they were willing to draft him on future potential despite the injury and the need to sit out the year.


"One of the areas that we kind of came into this draft with was the idea of a big end who plays over the tight end and a three-technique, that kind of versatility and getting a little bigger and he's a guy who provides that for us," said 49ers general manager John Lynch following the draft. "He's a guy, again, not a projection because we've seen him play both spots and play both spots really well. Did a lot of research on him. We really had him as a, if you took away the injury, a third-round rated guy for us. So, when he was there, we felt like that was the best pick."

N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren recently joined the 49ers Studios Podcast and shared why Street can be a valuable NFL player.

"I think, in the run game, he's very dependable," Doeren told 49ers team reporter Joe Fann. "He's going to be where he's supposed to be. He doesn't make many mistakes. He's got a high football IQ. To me, that's something -- the dependability part of his game -- yeah, he can flash, he can pass rush and those things, but he's so dependable. (He) doesn't make mistakes, and I think there's a lot to be said for that."

Street wasn't the only N.C. State defensive lineman drafted last month. In fact, three other members of the Wolfpack's defensive line were selected ahead of him. All of them were overshadowed by first-round selection Bradley Chubb, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

"I think they all played well off of each other," Doeren said. "Obviously, production-wide, Bradley Chubb was the one that made the most plays, but they all had their games and their series within games. They complimented each other well, and I think they played well off of each other.


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"That's one thing, I think the four guys we're talking about that were all drafted (Chubb, Street, B.J. Hill, and Justin Jones), they cared a lot about each other. They were brothers, and they worked hard together. So they knew how to play off of each other and use each other in the run game and the pass game because they knew where they were going to be."

Street isn't the first player Doeren coached who sustained a severe injury leading to the draft. Doeren was the defensive coordinator with Wisconsin when he saw linebacker O'Brien Schofield go through something similar. Schofield was the defensive MVP for the 2010 East-West Shrine Game. A week later, he tore his ACL during a practice leading up to the Senior Bowl.

Schofield, like Street, was still selected in the fourth round. The Arizona Cardinals made him the No. 130 overall pick. Schofield ended up playing late in his rookie season and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL with the Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Atlanta Falcons.

"Like I told him, we don't know God's plan," Doeren said of Street's injury. "We can only react and stay positive. In my experience with the other player, he had a [seven]-year career in the NFL, so the injury wasn't going to be something that prevented him from going to the league. It's just going to change, maybe, when he was selected, but not how long he could play or the impact he could have, and he needed to have that kind of mentality.

"He obviously did a great job when he interviewed with the teams because he was still selected high, but it's not what you want. You're expecting a guy -- just like he did in our Bowl game, he was the player of the game in that game. He's finished his career on a hot note."


Doeren knows that Street is appreciative of the 49ers selecting him in the fourth round. He also knows he's working hard to return from his injury and get back onto the football field.

"I know he feels loyal to the 49ers for still taking him where they did," Doeren said. "One of the tweets he sent out afterward was that he was going to make them look good for doing that, and how much he appreciated them believing in him. I know what kind of worker he is. He's grinding right now. I guarantee it. (He's) doing everything he can to come back quickly and healthy."

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