The San Francisco 49ers have officially set their 53-man roster, which had few surprises and uncertainties, given the talent on the roster, but still some tough decisions on the backend with players vying for spots.
Among the group was defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who has struggled to stay on the field since being drafted with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but has possessed great potential if he could become more technically refined.
However, the 49ers kept Kinlaw as one of eight defensive line players on their initial 53-man roster after the former first-round pick showcased his athleticism and pure strength over a few outings in the preseason.
Now, the question becomes: will Kinlaw be more of an asset or a liability in 2023?
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was asked about his defensive tackle during his weekly presser, where he provided his honest thoughts on Kinlaw's pad level and practice habits this offseason.
"Well, I've seen him trying to emphasize and work on what you just talked about(flexibility, leverage, and pad level). He is a massive man, very tall. So, we constantly talk about his pad level, staying low. This is a leverage game. Low-man wins," Wilks said. "So being able to come off the ball and create a new line of scrimmage, we always talk about attacking, which we do a great job of. But also playing with violent hands and being able to, what we say 'X off' into your gap and make that tackle. So, I've seen that improvement with him, not only with him, with guys across the across the front. So, we're going to need that next week for sure."
Then, Wilks was straight-up asked whether he expected teams to run right at Kinlaw in the run game.
"Well, not so much right at him. I mean, I think there's a lot of guys that you can sit here and scheme against that we're going to up front. So, what teams get with us is they try to double team us and try to get to the second level. So, we've got to do a great job of maintaining and splitting that double team and not allowing them to push on the linebacker. So, that's where it's all about get off and guys really staying in their gaps."
Kinlaw flashed more in the preseason, especially in the team's final game, and will likely be tasked upon playing some role in the 49ers' defensive line rotation.
Whether he can become more technically refined will ultimately dictate his impact in 2023.
