The San Francisco 49ers traded away a proven Pro Bowl player (DeForest Buckner) for the first round pick they would use to select defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw with the no. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
According to left tackle Trent Williams—who has competed against his fair share of defensive tackles in his career—49ers GM John Lynch's bold move is already paying dividends.
The veteran heaped praise on the 6'5, 325-pound rookie with an inspiring journey to the NFL. Despite an abbreviated rookie program and no preseason, Kinlaw has excelled in 49ers training camp.
“Luckily I haven’t had to go against him in a one-on-one setting…but I’ve had to block him in team play and he’s a ton man, he’s a lot to deal with,” Williams told KNBR, via NBCSportsBayArea.com. “Even when he’s pulling off his rush, you still feel that power, you still feel that size. You can’t really teach that, you can’t really coach that….he’s got Defensive Player of the Year written all over him.”
Williams added that 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek is “going to turn him into a nightmare in this NFL.”
Last month, Kinlaw was humble about his progress in camp.
“I'd be lying if I [said I] thought it was good, but I'm making improvements,” the rookie said. “That's the main thing. Just get better day by day. That's all I'm really trying to do. I knew, coming in, that it wasn't going to be easy, so I already had prepared myself for that. I see the improvements daily.”
If Javon Kinlaw really has that much more room to grow, then Trent Williams' prediction might just be spot on.
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