Meet a 49ers rookie: Can Kinlaw fill Buckner’s shoes quickly on a strong D-line?
Javon Kinlaw comes into the NFL in an enviable situation as a highly drafted rookie.
He won’t have to carry the water for a struggling position group as many first-round draft picks do. Kinlaw will have the luxury of playing alongside the reigning defensive rookie of the year and two players who recently earned contracts paying $34 million per season combined.
“Another physical, dominating presence attached with three more?” Kinlaw asked on draft night. “You can’t ask for nothing better than that. I feel like I can come in and play a vital role.”
A front four featuring Kinlaw, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and Dee Ford looks fearsome on paper. The bar was set awfully high when DeForest Buckner anchored the middle of last season’s group that was prominent during the Super Bowl run.
Kinlaw was the fifth defensive lineman San Francisco has drafted in the first round over the last six years. They added another when they got Ford in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason before losing one when Buckner was moved last month.
It’s a unique team building dynamic because the 49ers are coached by one of the premier offensive minds in the league in Kyle Shanahan, who has used just two of his six first-round picks since 2017 on offensive players.
“I am an offensive coach and it’s more fun for me in an offense with offensive play makers,” Shanahan said. “But nothing’s more fun than having a defense like we had last year. And I think that gives you the best chance to go to the Super Bowl.
Kinlaw, of course, is Buckner’s de facto replacement. He was taken 14th overall after the 49ers moved down one slot from the pick they acquired when they dealt Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in March. Kinlaw enters the NFL as the second defensive tackle off the board after the Carolina Panthers tapped Auburn’s Derrick Brown at pick No. 7.
In Kinlaw, the 49ers are getting a prospect with similar skills to Buckner. Though Kinlaw is roughly 30 pounds heavier and could be more stout against the run than Buckner, who played well below 300 pounds throughout his time with the 49ers despite standing 6-foot-8.
San Francisco last season allowed 106 rushing yards per game, ranking No. 12, largely because they often played with the lead. Opponents averaged 4.4 yards per carry which ranked 21st. If there’s a way offenses might attack the 49ers this year after an offseason of study, it might be with the running game to neutralize their premier pass rush.
But that’s not necessarily where Kinlaw’s value lies. He was Pro Football Focus’ second-ranked interior pass rusher in college football last season with a win rate of 18.1 percent. He uses his unique power and length (34 7/8-inch arms, 92nd percentile) to push offensive linemen back. He had 10.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss over the last two seasons at South Carolina.
Despite his physical tools, Kinlaw is considered raw as a pass rusher. Refining his game like Buckner did over the past four seasons will help him reach his ceiling and unlock the rest of the defensive line. And having a strong supporting cast, including Bosa, who’s among the betting favorites for Defensive Player of the Year, will help.
“Playing next to guys like that, I think it leaves opportunities for me to get a lot of one-on-one,” Kinlaw said. “And I feel as though the D-Line coach (Kris Kocurek), I feel like he’s gonna do a good job of developing me the right way and help me understand the game of football more and more as the years go on.”
Kocurek is the 49ers’ loudest assistant coach. He screams to the point of having to adjust his glasses. And he’s an equal opportunist. None of San Francisco’s talented defensive linemen were exempt from getting a loud, verbal push from Kocurek, who will likely make Kinlaw’s development a personal endeavor, particularly without a regular offseason program.
And that’s all fine for Kinlaw, who said his college coach, Will Muschamp, has similar tendencies.
“Muschamp will put his foot up your behind if he could,” Kinlaw said. “But I’m used to that type of coaching. That’s what I respond to the best anyway.”
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 4:00 AM.