© Trevor Ruszkowski | 2020 Feb 27
The loss of DeForest Buckner is seen as the most significant negative of the 49ers’ surprisingly eventful offseason. But is it possible they might have actually upgraded at the position?
That would sound like blatant homerism coming from most, but Brian Baldinger of NFL Network knows as much about defensive line play as anybody, and he believes the 49ers might have just drafted one of the most dominant defensive players we’ve seen in years in Javon Kinlaw.
In fact, Baldinger went so far as to tell The Athletic that Kinlaw might be the best defensive player coming out of college, yes that includes No. 2 overall pick Chase Young, and that NFL offensive lineman are going to have issues with him immediately.
“I don’t know that any one player, even at the NFL level, can handle him one-on-one,” Baldinger told The Athletic. “I think he’s just too powerful. He’s 325 pounds on a chiseled 6-5 1/2-inch frame with long arms. I know DeForest was 6-7 with long arms too, but this guy is thicker than DeForest. (Bucker is listed at 295 pounds.)
“There aren’t many people — period — in the NFL that look like that, that are built like that, that have the kind of power that (Kinlaw) has. I don’t see why they can’t plug and play him right away.”
.@GamecockFB @JavonKinlaw could be the most dominant defensive player in this draft. It’s a healthy debate; but this much I know. His talent, power, and effort are elite. #gamecocks #SEC #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/eTvSHt76mu
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 17, 2020
The rad flag on Kinlaw is durability. He dealt with nagging hip and knee issues over the past year and up to the NFL Combine. Injuries are always an unpredictable variable, but Baldinger believes that when healthy, Kinlaw is just as athletic as Buckner, despite being 30 pounds heavier.
“He probably runs as well as DeForest did,” Baldinger said. “When you get a guy 50 yards downfield chasing down a play, that’s inside him. It shows a glimpse that he has that type of ability. When I watch plays like that, he has the chance to be the most dominant defensive player in the draft.
“That’s not a slight to (Isaiah) Simmons or (Derrick) Brown or Chase (Young) or anybody. (Kinlaw) just physically has that type of power and speed.”
It’s not often you can lose an All-Pro talent in their prime and upgrade through the draft, but that’s very much on the table according to Baldinger.