SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ You might not have heard much from Javon Kinlaw since the 49ers' returned to their facility earlier this month and began preparing for the upcoming season. But that doesn't mean the recent No. 14 pick in the draft is going unnoticed behind closed doors in Santa Clara.
"He's really hard working in the meeting room. He knows all his stuff really well," defensive end Nick Bosa said. "He doesn't seem like a rookie out there. I've only been out to a couple walkthroughs so far but he knows his stuff and he doesn't look like a rookie."
That sounds well and good _ but there's also a chance Bosa was speaking in platitudes about San Francisco's touted defensive tackle. That tends to happen this time of year (Bosa also called Kinlaw a "really good kid" despite Kinlaw being 20 days older).
But consider Bosa also said this about the South Carolina alum: "He's one of the biggest humans I've ever seen in person. That says a lot when you've had Arik (Armstead) and Buck (DeForest Buckner) on your team, so I'm just excited for him to have this opportunity and I think he's gonna kill it."
Kinlaw, listed at 6-5 and 319 pounds, is decidedly bigger than Buckner, who stands 6-foot-8 and played last season at below 300 pounds. Buckner is known for his athleticism and array of pass rushing moves at the "three technique" defensive tackle spot now occupied by Kinlaw.
Buckner is a decidedly different player. What Kinlaw might lack for athleticism he makes up for with his 25 more pounds of mass, which might mean more double teams on the inside, which could help free up San Francisco's array of pass rushers headlined by Bosa, Armstead and Dee Ford.
The 49ers are hoping Kinlaw can dominate offensive linemen in the NFL in the same way he did during a win over Georgia, when he was arguably the best player on the field during a road upset of the country's No. 3 team while South Carolina was unranked. Kinlaw also impressed during Senior Bowl practices before bowing out for the week with a knee injury that didn't prevent San Francisco from taking him to replace Buckner, a team captain.
