FOOTBALL ing next to guys like that, I think it leaves opportunities for me to get a lot of one-on-ones.” Kinlaw waited just over two hours to hear his name called by San Francisco, but the brief delay was worth it. Turns out, it’s exactly what he wanted.
He’s big enough. He’s strong enough. He’s fast enough. He had the want to, obviously. He’s hungry, literally and figuratively. – FORMER GAMECOCK STAR LANGSTON MOORE
GREAT FIT
Kinlaw joins Deebo, elite defensive line in San Francisco
J
By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Allen Sharpe & Jenny Dilworth ust days before the 2020 NFL Draft, Deebo Samuel called Javon Kinlaw and told his former South Carolina teammate that the latter was going to be chosen by his San Francisco 49ers. On Friday, April 24, the foreshadowing became reality. Kinlaw was taken by San Francisco with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round, becoming the first of four South Carolina players selected. The 6-5, 324-pound defensive tackle became the highest drafted Gamecock since Jadeveon Clowney went No. 1 overall in 2014. “He was actually the first guy on our list that we would’ve taken at 13,” San Francisco general manager John Lynch told reporters. “He’s a guy that we had zeroed in on for a
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JAVON KINLAW
while. … We have built a pretty good [defensive line] unit here and we wanted to keep that strong. We thought he was a great fit for that.” Though, as Lynch noted, San Francisco traded down from its original pick, it was still able to add Kinlaw to a fearsome defensive line that includes former first-rounders Nick Bosa (No. 2, 2019), Dee Ford (No. 23, 2014), Arik Armstead (No. 15, 2017) and Solomon Thomas (No. 3, 2017). “I think they might’ve been the best defensive line in football last year,” Kinlaw said. “I’m not just saying that. The way they play, they play the right way. I feel like they play the way the game is supposed to be played. “They just go after it. Penetrating, getting off the ball. … And that’s what I like to do. … Play-
Days before the draft, Kinlaw was asked by a fan during a question-and-answer session with Bleacher Report which team would draft him if he had the choice. “I’d say the 49ers,” he answered. It also turns out Kinlaw’s dad, George, has been a 49ers fan his entire life. George was captured sprawled out on a floor in jubilation after the pick was made. Former NFL GM Charley Casserly called Kinlaw to San Francisco his favorite pick of the first round. “A quick, explosive, perfect fit in that 4-3 defense where you want that penetrating defensive tackle,” the current NFL Network analyst said on NFL Total Access. Former Gamecock defensive lineman Langston Moore (1999-2002) told Spurs & Feathers he expects Kinlaw to thrive at the next level. “I think this is a great fit for him,” the six-year NFL veteran said. “It’s a great group of guys for him to be around where he can learn and flourish, but also be pushed, because a lot of those guys are high-fliers and achievers. And that’s a big thing. “The biggest upside for Kinlaw is that he doesn’t know how good he can be. There is no cap on him. He is so raw and so young. Throwing him into a situation like this, it’s probably going to allow him to go out there and do some things he maybe really didn’t think he could do.” Moore, the former South Carolina sideline reporter, crossed paths with Kinlaw a few times this spring while working out at The Star — the Cowboys’ world-class operations center — in Frisco, Texas, and knew his Low-
MAY 2020
