© San Francisco 49ers | 2020 Aug 18
Most of the reports out of training camp are that first-round pick Javon Kinlaw has a long way to go. At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, he certainly has the requisite size and power, but his skills are still raw as should be expected for a rookie.
Left tackle Trent Williams — arguably the best left tackle in football and the same size as Kinlaw — analyzes the rookie a little differently. When he watches and plays against Kinlaw, he sees a star in the making.
“Luckily I haven’t had to go against him in a one-on-one setting, him and (Laken Tomlinson) have some pretty epic battles, 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 Papa & Lund on Thursday. “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.
“I tell him all the time he’s got Defensive Player of the Year written all over him. Getting with the d-line coach they have, (Kris) Kocurek is probably the best in the land, I honestly feel like he’s going to turn him into a nightmare in this NFL.”
High praise from someone who’s made seven Pro Bowls, and goes against reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa everyday. If Kinlaw is everything Williams says he is, that award might stay in San Francisco for another year.
Listen to the full interview below.
