The 2020 NFL Draft changed for the 49ers the moment they traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts last month. Adding the No. 13 pick in the draft can give them a plethora of options to pick for.
In NBC Sports Bay Area's latest mock draft, Josh Schrock and I have San Francisco selecting Alabama receiver Jerry Jeudy at No. 13. But general manager John Lynch could go a different route.
The 49ers could use their acquired top pick to address a need other than wide receiver. They could try to upgrade their offensive or defensive line, or add a cornerback to pair with Richard Sherman. NBC Sports' Peter King hears the 49ers are looking for a bit of a Buckner replacement, and have their eyes on South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
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"I hear the Niners are desperate for a space-eating defensive tackle who can threaten the pocket, and that’s what the 315-pound and athletic Kinlaw does," King writes in his latest Football Morning in America.
There certainly is reason to believe that could happen. Kinlaw dominated practice at the Senior Bowl and is full of untapped potential. He also is about as motivated as it comes.
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Kinlaw grew up homeless for a time after his mother brought the family from Trinidad to the Washington D.C. area in 1995. He now has a one-year-old daughter and never wants her to go through those hardships.
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On the field, Kinlaw disrupts an offense with his strength and speed, and should only get better. In a deep receiver draft class, the 49ers could take Kinlaw early and then get quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a new weapon later in the draft.