Can Kaelon Black win role to back up CMC as 49ers rookie minicamp begins?
Raheem Morris, Klay Kubiak and Brant Boyer took to the podium to sound off on the new additions during rookie minicamp in Santa Clara.
Can Kaelon Black win role to back up CMC as 49ers rookie minicamp begins? originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
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I'm Matt, she's Jennifer.
We're back in Santa Clara.
I think we were just here a couple weeks ago for the draft.
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
And now, now things are moving I think it's officially now, Jennifer, the 2026 season, because I think by and large, what you see is what you get.
Yeah, we got to meet some of the draft guy, drafted guys today.
We got to talk to them.
I, I like to meet them face-to-face as opposed to the Zooms that we do right after they're picked.
you get a little bit more sense of their personality, and we got to meet Raheem Morris for the first time face-to-face as well.
Yeah, well, I mean, they just did hire him- Yeah.
February 1st.
In February.
Yeah, so Raheem Morris, also all the, the coordinators- Mm-hmm Clay Kubiak, the special teams coordinator, Brant Boyer.
Mm-hmm.
So we had an opportunity to talk to some of the other members of the coaching staff other than Kyle Shanahan.
And the 49ers are also hosting all kinds of rookies.
Well, it's 8, or no, 16 rookies, right?
Mm-hmm.
'Cause they have the eight-person draft class.
There's the eight-player undrafted rookie class, and then a bunch of tryout players coming through here, and they're gonna practice on Friday and Saturday in Santa Clara.
So first opportunity to see some of those guys.
I'm not sure exactly what they'll do- out there on the field because doesn't it seem to you kind of the trend now is because these guys have been on the, in a sense, kind of like the banquet circuit- On the tour on the tour They've been on an NFL tour.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I think, it was Kalon Black, the 49ers' pick at number 90 overall, he went to 12 different teams to visit leading up to the draft, including 10 in 10 days.
So they're not necessarily in football sha- shape, and I think teams generally speaking don't wanna push those rookies too hard because- Right you don't want them to get an injury- Mm-hmm that might linger on for a while.
I, from what I remember last year, they did some calisthenics and some light drills.
It's not a whole lot of, of activity we're going to see on the field on Friday.
Yeah.
And it'll be, you know, but the first opportunity, Dejon Stribling- Mm-hmm will be wearing number 15.
Right.
Refresh my memory, Jennifer, who was it from the past, maybe the recent past, who wore number 15?
A fellow named Jauan Jennings.
49ers have certainly turned the, the page on, on Jauan Jennings.
Yep.
Mm-hmm.
One guy they haven't turned the page on, though, Trent Williams.
Mm-hmm.
And the terms of that contract, became known this week and, and it is interesting because it's, it's two-year deal for 50 million, million.
Previously reported that's, that's what it was, but the way it's structured is that, you know, he gets an 11 million guaranteed option bonus in 2027, and then if he's on the roster for the start of next season, and he doesn't hold out and, and takes part in the off-season program, he gets an $11.5 million roster bonus.
So John Lynch- Wow said it himself.
He says, "We did a two-year deal with Trent with great confidence that Trent's going to be here for a couple of years."
And- They made it very, very financially advantageous for him to show up.
It, it made it kind of, mutually beneficial.
Yes.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
I mean, the 49ers would love for Trent Williams to play- Mm-hmm at least two more seasons.
Right.
And now Trent Williams has a lot of reasons- Yes th- 11 million-ish of them if, more than that probably.
Yep.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
in order to And you know, and part of that is a, a $22 million signing bonus too.
Mm-hmm.
So if he were only to play one year and decide to retire, they have to give some of that back is my understanding.
Yeah.
So it's, it's basically we've talked so much about the succession plan for the 49ers at left tackle.
Mm-hmm.
You know what the succession plan is?
Trent Williams.
Yeah.
He's just going to stay as long as he can play.
And, and the, the other part of this though, and, and usually when teams need to f- to bring in another left tackle, it's usually cross that bridge when you get to it.
Mm-hmm.
But in the case with Trent Williams and Vidarian Lowe, I mean, you could it's, it would be obvious that their plan the next two years at left tackle would be Trent Williams is starting and Vidarian Lowe is the backup tackle.
Right.
But there's also a chance that in this draft, the 2026 draft, in the, the late round, fifth round, Enrique Cruz potentially, I mean, yeah, I mean, it's, it's l- maybe a little bit of a stretch to project a, a fifth-round player as somebody who's gonna be a starting left tackle, but they're gonna give him that opportunity, what, three years from now- Right or for the 2028 season.
And it's one of those things where he's, Enrique Cruz is so athletic, I think he has the physical gifts, it's just learning how to be able to utilize them to play left tackle or right tackle as needed.
And he, I mean, he's big.
Mm-hmm.
What, 6'5", 313.
Super athletic.
Yeah.
But really athletic.
Mm-hmm.
You know, the vertical, the broad jump, the, the 40 time under, five seconds, and also ran the fastest speed of any offensive lineman at the combine.
So those are the kind of movement skills the 49ers require from their offensive linemen.
Right, for that outside zone offense, that's what they need, and so he's definitely got all the, the elements to be able to be a really effective tackle.
Mm-hmm.
It's just putting all the pieces together.
Yeah.
You know, there's, there's one part about the 49ers', offensive line, and, and by the way, Carver Willis, the f-Fourth-round pick.
He is gonna probably be starting off at left guard at the rookie camp.
That's what Clay Kubiak, the 49ers offensive coordinator said.
Mm-hmm.
So he's gonna be in the mix, you know, to be a potential starter year one.
He'd have to win that job with, Robert Jones, and Connor Colby, and Brent Toth, and maybe Nick Zakel competing for that.
But I- I've gotten a lot of people on social media saying, you know, 49ers should have done more to address their offensive line.
They got bullied by the Seattle Seahawks.
And th- there's, there's one point that I think is important.
I mean, there's no question, the 49ers were kind of manhandled by the Seattle defensive front.
As most teams in the NFL were.
As most teams in the NFL were.
Mm-hmm.
But the 49ers style is that they need, in order to run their offense, which has generally been a top five offense in the league, and last year was right around th- that as well, the requirements for that offense call for athleticism, agility, quickness to run that scheme.
Right.
You, you Guys who are, are quick, and athletic, and agile generally are undersized.
Mm-hmm.
The, the outlier is Trent Williams.
Right.
Trent Williams can run against anybody and execute all those blocks, but he's also strong, and that's why he's one of one.
He is, yeah.
So you, you don't let's bulk up on the def- on the offensive line and get these huge guards and centers- Mm-hmm because then those guys aren't able to execute- Right the 49ers run scheme.
So it's kind of like- Mm-hmm you, you pick your, you pick- Choose your battles you pick your lane.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Are you gonna be a mauling, you know, run, you know, gap-blocking scheme that's- Mm-hmm gonna try to mash people, and that's what you do, or are you that kind of zone scheme, and y- you're, you're gonna be undersized- Right as opposed to the defensive.
But more mobile.
Right.
Yeah.
But more mobile, faster, because they want those explosive plays.
That's what they were missing last year, was the explosive plays.
But part of that is because they didn't have wide receivers that could help them do that.
That's why Christian McCaffrey was tackled at the line of scrimmage so often.
So, yes, they need guys who are mobile, and I think Carver Willis is really interesting.
I like how he said, "Hey, I'm going to be able to play wherever on the five."
And if he s- ends up securing a spot at left guard, for instance, if something happens at tackle, he can slide out, six years experience at tackle.
What, I mean, and what a fun personality when we had to meet him, right?
He's very, reminiscent of George Kittle and his enthusiasm at the podium.
I know.
I think I'm gonna start calling him George Jr. Like, he, he, like, the mannerisms of, uh- Mm-hmm Carver Willis, using the same term, like, "Sick.
Oh, that's sick."
Uh-huh.
he, he It seemed like he was doing, like, a George Kittle impersonation.
I know.
But yeah- So just so much enthusiasm, and I think that, you know, he knows already from, from playing at Washington how the outside zone works.
Mm-hmm.
How, you know You don't see guys that are huge, gigantic linemen on the interior get out, you know, 10 yards down the field and help with an explosive play blocking way out in front, and that's what the 49ers need from their linemen.
Yeah.
And, and in order to, you know, you said create those holes for Christian McCaffrey, and- Mm-hmm and McCaffrey, man, a heavy workload for him last year.
Mm-hmm.
And I, you know, I think typically it's been difficult after a, a heavy workload one year to come back and put that kind of, you know, effort on the field the next year- Right and stay out there.
Clay Kubiak, 49ers offensive coordinator, was asked about, you know, 49ers trying to find that, that back that helps them, and he said, "It's challenging because you're talking about a player who does not want to come off the field.
And when you look around the league, and you study great backs, and study guys who affect the game like he does, those guys don't want to come out of the game."
But he also said that, "We've got to do a better job as coaches.
We've got to do a better job at times of getting a better rotation.
We know we have young backs that we want to get more production out of us, so it's on us to handle that."
And that's why the 49ers selected Kalon Black- Mm-hmm at the 90th pick in the third round.
that's why they drafted Jordan James last year.
That's why they drafted Isaac Guerendo the year before that.
So that is definitely going to be, an emphasis for the 49ers to try to share the load r- certainly more than they have in the past.
Right.
but they need one of those guys to step up.
I wanted to talk to you about Kalon Black a little bit, because I was watching I saw some highlights of him at the Senior Bowl.
Mm-hmm.
And you know what Kyle Shanahan's favorite route is for his running backs, that choice route.
Right.
So he caught, Kalon Black did, eight passes for, I don't know, eight passes during two years at, at Indiana.
Uh-huh.
So the thought was, when I saw those stats, I was like, "Ah, he can't catch the ball."
Right.
But at JMU- Mm-hmm James Madison, he, he did catch the ball.
Right.
44 passes over, over four years, or over two years, in fact.
Mm-hmm.
But I was watching the one-on-ones at the Senior Bowl, and Kalon Black running those choice routes, he was leaving defenders.
Like, he was creating five yards of separation like that.
Wow.
And I think that's one of the many pieces that sold Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers on, on Kalon Black.
you know, he runs powerfully.
He never fumbled the ball.He's a good blocker, so he can stay on at third downs for blitz pickup.
Mm-hmm.
But running those choice routes and giving Brock Purdy that easy pitch-and-catch option, I, I think is one of the things that the 49ers see that would enable him to stay or, you know, get on the field, whether the play call is called for Christian McCaffrey or- Right anybody else, and maybe he can do those things.
Right, and that was the issue last year, was that they would call plays for Christian McCaffrey, and then Christian McCaffrey would wanna come off field, or Bobby Turner, the running backs coach, would pull him off the field, and Brian Robinson would be in there, and he is not His strength is not that choice route, catching the ball- Yeah for Brock Purdy.
So to have a guy that can do that for him, I think is going to make a huge difference for being able to rotate Christian McCaffrey out.
So we, we did get a chance to, for the first time, to meet Raheem Morris.
Mm-hmm.
your impressions of the, the 49ers' new defensive coordinator.
My impression is that he and Kyle Shanahan, it's going to be so easy for them to be in lockstep, because they have known each other for so long.
Mm-hmm.
I asked Raheem Mos- why Raheem Mostert Yeah Raheem Morris while we were, kind of on the side after he got off the podium like, "What were your first impressions of Kyle Shanahan when you met back when they were both in, in Tampa?"
And he said, "I just thought he was a nerdy kid from UCLA, and then I realized how smart he was."
And the fact that they both kind of cross-trained on the offense and the defensive side, it really, they're both so similar in their paths to being head coaches.
Just Raheem Morris hasn't been able to stay in his job as long as Kyle Shanahan has.
Yeah, so, so Raheem Morris, he was the Falcons head coach for the past two seasons, and before that, he was the Rams defensive coordinator and ran that Rams defense in the year that the Rams won the Super Bowl.
And so, Raheem Morris was, was asking or was talking about what to expect from the 49ers defense.
You know, is it gonna be a carryover what he did with the Falcons, what he did with the Rams, or is it gonna be more along the lines of what we've seen here in the past with the 49ers?
And this is what he had to say.
We definitely wanna do, what's best for our players.
You know, you're always gonna do what they do really well.
You know, Fred Warner is Fred Warner for a reason.
I'm gonna try to utilize those guys to the best of their ability to do some of their different things, and be, to have some additions, to be to go out there and ultimately to go try to win a championship.
whatever's required, whatever's needed to go do those things, those are the expectations, and those are the things that we wanna get done.
So, to say it's gonna be more resemblant to me or more resemblant to them, it's gonna be what's best for us in order to go win football games, and I think that's the best way to look at it, you know.
ultimately, you know, whatever it takes to go win football games, whatever it takes to go out there and get it done for us.
So the easy answer is he's gonna do whatever it takes.
Yep, absolutely.
Yeah, so the 49ers, you know, they'll And that, and he did say, you know, it's multiple fronts.
It's multiple looks on the back end.
Mm-hmm.
So I, I think his idea would be to just kind of use, you know, not just this rookie camp- but the OTAs, the, the, what is it?
The, the mini, the, the mandatory mini camp.
Mandatory mini camp.
And then training camp to kind of figure out how to put his guys in the best positions.
Right.
I think that's it too, utilizing guys where they work the best.
So it might be a five-man front.
It might be a four-man front.
It just depends on what they're going against and who they've got available in person as, in personnel to be able to maximize their potential.
Yeah, where do you think Like, you know, Fred Warner, you know, he's healthy.
He's ready to go.
49ers do have, you know, some experience at linebacker with Dre Greenlaw coming back, Dee Winters, who played well for them last year, was the leading tackler, was, was traded to, to Dallas.
you know, there's some moving parts on the defensive line with Nick Bosa coming back from the ACL.
Mykel Williams probably won't be available week one.
Isn't that kind of the sense you get?
I would, I would think so, just because his injury happened later in the season.
A- and then, like, the safety position- Mm-hmm with, Maliek Mustafa will be a starter, but, you know, who's gonna be next to him?
Is it Ji'Ayir Brown?
Is it Marquise Siegel?
So there, there is a lot to figure out there, but you kinda know the styles of- the players involved.
Right.
And, and all those guys have played enough that Raheem Morris can s- look at them on film and have a pretty good idea of what he's getting before he even sees them, you know, up close- Yeah as the defense coordinator.
I feel like he's not He's kinda going to play it by ear, not in, like, a random way, but just in the fact of learning his guys and figuring out where they will fit the best, just like kinda how they did last year with Ji'Ayir Brown going into that big nickel position.
It's not necessarily where he was prior to that, and I think he kind of played better there, so being able to figure out what works the best for each of their guys.
Yeah.
Okay, so as we mentioned, the rookie class is in town.
the 49ers started the draft, the 2026 draft, with six draft picks.
They ended up making a bunch of trades and then came out of it with eight players that they selected, and Jennifer and I will talk about those eight players and how they fit in after these words.
We are back on 49ers Talk, brought to you by your local Toyota dealers.
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So on Thursday, as the players, as the rookies were coming in from all parts of the country, ge- had an opportunity to, to talk to some of these guys and ask them some questions.
And, you know, I think this really is a draft, when you look at it, where, you know, the top five guys, there are legitimate opportunities for those guys to play on whichever side of the ballThey play on.
The, the final three guys that they picked, I think there was, like, a clear delineation of, hey, these guys can help now, and also obviously for the future.
Mm-hmm.
And then those final three picks just kind of look like maybe a little bit more developmental and kind of see what they offer down the, down the road.
But let's just start off at the beginning.
Sure.
Dejon Stribling came in, and, and, very, Oh, he's soft-spoken guy, but very self-assured.
Mm-hmm.
and, and obviously just getting to know him more as a football player since the 49ers took him at the top of the second round a couple weeks ago, looks to be like somebody who has a chance to step in and make an impact.
Yeah, he just seems very mature, and I think that says, I think for all of the guys that we've met face-to-face so far, they are all mature.
You know, using up five, four, five, six years of eligibility.
They've gotten money from N- NIL, so they're experienced.
They're adults.
And so when we've spoken to them, they know that there's a lot for them to learn.
I mean, even Dejon Stribling, who played in a similar system at Ole Miss said, "Yeah, it kind of does translate," but really it's, he's got to get the playbook under his belt.
He's learning it, and he's excited to, for where it will go, but he realized it's not going to be plug and play.
He knows that.
He knows there's gonna be a lot of work involved into getting him on the field this season.
You, you know what you should have asked him and all these guys they brought in?
"So, how much money did you make from N- NIL?"
That's what you should have asked.
That would've been great.
Yeah.
Just see how they handle it, like a test.
Like, yeah.
'Cause, I mean, the fact of the matter is, you know, in today's college football- Yeah you know, it used to be the joke with USC, like those guys had to take pay cuts to come to the NFL- Yes because USC was- Yeah very much never followed the rules.
Right.
Yeah.
but now it's true.
I mean, a lot of these guys are probably taking pay cuts, and that's why a, a lot of the, especially the quarterbacks- Mm-hmm at Power Four schools- Right are staying in school because they know if they're a fourth or fifth round pick, they're gonna be making a fraction of what they would be making if they stayed in school.
Right.
Because it's unregulated how much money they can make in college, but as a rookie, the pay is slotted in for where you are picked, and there's no fluctuation with that.
It's just that's what you get.
There might be some I know last year there were some guaranteed money kind of conversations that were, worked out, but other than that, money-wise, it's pretty much set.
It's chaos, let's face it.
It's, the college sports is absolute chaos.
It is.
It is.
No rules.
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
So Stribling, Stribling has a chance.
Oh, yeah.
And he, I think he has a chance either, I mean, I mean, there's a chance that he is, I, I don't know of a starter, But if he's as good as he might be, it's gonna be tough to keep him off the field.
It is, 'cause he's not only a receiver, he's a really good blocker.
If you go and look at highlights, if you go search Dejon Stribling's highlights and blocking, he pancakes a lot of guys.
Yeah.
And he kind of has- Well, he, he pancakes guys when he has the ball in his arms.
That too.
That too.
And he has that attitude when he's on the field, very similar to the, the other number 15 that we've seen with the 49ers, just having that, you know, dominance, and that's what he spoke about- when he, we talked to him after draft.
He was dominating people on the field.
That's what he wants to do, and he had that experience when he was at Ole Miss the first several weeks.
I know you asked him about how he wasn't getting the ball very often- in those first few weeks at Ole Miss.
They didn't necessarily trust him, I don't think.
And so he said, "I'm gonna make the most of it.
I'm gonna block my butt off," and that's exactly what he did.
You know what?
you, the way you s- so Stribling, Stribling might have been the best receiver in I don't know.
The guys at Indiana were good, but Stribling was darn good in the playoffs.
Mm-hmm.
The College Football playoffs.
So he was one of the top receivers in the playoffs, period.
And then the top running back in the playoffs was probably Kaylon Black.
Right.
but let's Well, let's, let's hit Kaylon Black now because we're just very good about segues, going from one player- to the next, and we'll come back and get Ramello Hight.
But Kaylon Black, he, he has a chance too to be the number two running back, and I think the 49ers would not have taken him where they did unless they thought that too.
Right.
And when we've talked to John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, Clay Kubiak about Kaylon Black, they all talked about how he played in the Senior Bowl.
That's where they first kind of, I think, talked to him, watched him play.
And then as they kept interviewing him through the draft process, they liked him more and more.
The more they watched of him, the more they liked.
And the fact that he potentially could be interchangeable with Christian McCaffrey, which other backs weren't, Brian Robinson wasn't last year, I think that sets up the 49ers offense, Christian McCaffrey getting more rest potentially.
Then he plays and has bigger, more explosive plays when, because he has more rest on the side, on the sidelines.
I think it just sets up the 49ers potentially, if they use him the right way and are able to get him up to speed, that could really help out the offense.
Okay.
Here we go.
Here, here's a question for you.
Do Dejon Stribling and Kaylon Black get into the game in week one against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in the first quarter?
In the first quarter?
I think Dejon Stribling definitely has a chance to in the first quarter.
Kaylon BlackPotentially Yeah, I think- I think D'Jon Stribling for sure does get in there on the, in the first quarter Okay, so D'Jon Stribling, 'cause we- we've, from the first few days of free agency, it was Mike Evans, Ricky Pearsall, and Christian Kirk.
Mm-hmm.
So if Stribling gets in, like, whose job is he, who's he- Mm-hmm jumping over?
I, I would go Christian Kirk, that he's able to- to leap over him, 'cause that would be, think about that three-person group- Mm-hmm the 49ers could take out there with Evans, big-bodied guy, veteran, knows how to use his body.
Ricky Pearsall with the really quick route-running ability- Mm-hmm and, you know, ability to beat man coverage, and then Stribling, who's kind of a combination of both of those guys.
Right, and it depends on health, obviously.
Sure.
But also, who are they gonna use as a returner?
Okay, let's go there, then.
Okay, 'cause we also talked to Brandon Aiyuk.
Right.
And he, um- Basically anyone- Yeah who's on the team could be a returner.
But the only, like, so, and Jacob Cowling is the front-runner- Yeah I would think.
Mm-hmm.
And- You have Junior Bergen, who never played last year- Yeah potentially.
I mean, I know that's what they talked about last year after draft with Junior Bergen, is that he's such a great returner.
Mm-hmm.
The, and I, I, I could see whoever wins that job is going to essentially be Skyy Moore.
Mm-hmm.
You know, a guy who probably doesn't see a whole lot of action on offense, but doesn't need to in order to k- you know, kind of carry his weight on the team.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
I think Cowling is a better, more NFL-ready wide receiver, and I say that knowing full well that Jacob Cowling did not play a snap in the NFL last year.
He got injured with a hamstring injury first day of camp.
Mm-hmm.
It's like in warm-up drills on the first day of training camp.
Yeah.
Aggravated that thing, and then we never saw him on the field again.
But I think, I think Cowling, in my mind, would be the odds-on favorite to win that job.
But also, you know, Christian Kirk has done it a little bit- Mm-hmm in his NFL career.
and then who, he had, he did mention Pearsall too- Right can do it, and we've seen Ricky- Mm-hmm you know, field punts- Right in practice.
Never seen him do it in a game.
So I guess those three would be, or those four, it'd be Cowling, Bergen, Kirk, and Pearsall, those would be the most likely four.
And then Brandon Aiyuk, you know, kind of threw it out there that there's a couple other guys that they've signed who might be able to do it, but I would think, you know, those four.
Yeah, I think those four are probably the top choices, or t- at, they're at the top right now to be that position, yeah.
Yeah.
Okay, so Rhamel Hight.
Mm-hmm.
This is a guy, defensive end from Texas Tech, seen as a DPR, designated pass rusher.
you know, 49ers aren't deep there.
You know, they, they, they were, they had the worst pass rush in the NFL last year, far and away.
Wor- We've said that how many times?
Every time.
Every time we talk about the pass rush.
And it was- Dismal it, it was dismal, and it was the worst in franchise history.
Oof.
m- they've never had fewer sacks in a season that was more than 12 games, in franchise history.
Oof.
20 sacks in 17 games.
And yes, getting Nick Bosa back helps quite a bit.
Of course.
Yeah.
And but they still need- More than just him way more on the other side.
Yeah, right.
And, and this is why the 49ers selected Rhamel Hight with the 70th pick- Mm-hmm is that, you know, a guy who they believe can be, you know, can bring some juice- Right on the other side of Bosa.
Right.
And he was saying that it doesn't matter where he is, whether he's used on base downs or whether he's on third downs, he doesn't care.
He just wants to be able to contribute anywhere possible, and obviously he's going to, he's going to be playing first quarter of the game- He, he better be of the opener in Australia.
Yeah, he better be, unless the 49ers sign Joey Bosa.
Yeah.
but- But even, even if they did- Yeah, yeah he's gonna be out there because of- He is the defensive line rotation.
He's gonna be a guy who's going to be out there for pass rushing- Right obviously.
He, I don't think they can put him out there, you know, initially on any base situations- Mm-hmm where he has to be stout and, and hold the point of attack and set the edge.
but yeah, they, they definitely need him out there.
And, and backtracking, on the Trent Williams contract, they, they created a lot of cap space with that deal.
he now counts, it went from, his cap figure for Trent Williams with that new deal went from $46 million this year to 20 million.
Ooh.
So they created 26 million.
They have the most cap space of any team in the NFL, but I know how the 49ers work.
Just because they have that cap space doesn't mean, oh, we're gonna offer him 5 million more than we were originally.
They have their price- Mm-hmm and they're gonna stick with it.
So I, I, I still don't think the 49ers have much of a chance to sign Joey Bosa, but until he's, ends up somewhere else, the- Or announces his retirement, one or the other the door, the door is open.
Right.
Right.
The, the- And, and with the m- the having that much cap space, they can use it.
They always are thinking towards the future.
Yeah.
So they can roll it forward.
They can have more space in the years to come when they have to sign a big money contract to whoever else they need to sign.
And it's, it's not even that.
I think it's just, like, with all these guys, the guys they've already signed, you know, their, their numbers are rising.
Mm-hmm.
You know, like-Brock Purdy, you know, when the big money kicks in on the cap- Right and it's, it's McCaffrey, it's Kittle, it's Trent Williams, it's Bosa, it's Warner, it's Even Lenoir is gonna be up- Mm-hmm you know, more than 20 million.
So my guess is that the 49ers have that cap space, but the idea would be to roll over that cap space- Mm-hmm the next year- Right to kind of account for all that.
Um- I mean, just like how they look forward with the draft, it might not be guys that play this year, especially like you said with those last three picks.
Mm-hmm.
But they're thinking about the future.
Kyle Shanahan said he was really nervous about only having six picks.
They need to have that youth in the locker room so that in a couple years down the road they've got guys that they know that they can count on, that they can put out on the field.
Mm-hmm.
And I mean, with, with Kaylon Black- Mm-hmm well, let's go with Stribling, wide receiver.
Right.
You don't know if Mike Evans- Mm-hmm or Christian Kirk will be on the team next season.
Right.
Rhamondre Height, you know, that's a need position, 'cause, you know, they'll have some guys up on contracts for next year.
Mm-hmm.
Sam Okwuonu and Keon White, and then with Kaylon Black, you know, with McCaffrey, he can't play forever, and usually- He can't?
Well, I don't think so.
And, you know, the- But Trent Williams can.
Yeah.
Yes, he can.
He can.
No, yeah, right.
He's gonna be, what, 38 here in a little while.
Mm-hmm.
And, but yeah, just the, you know, it's tough for running backs to keep up that level.
It is.
It is.
Okay, so then the next player that we think has a chance to make an immediate contribution would be Grayson Halton- Mm-hmm the defensive lineman, and he could be part of that interior defensive line rotation, and also a guy that I could see, 'cause he has some pass rush skills.
Mm-hmm.
I could see him winning a spot to get out there.
Yeah.
It wouldn't sh- shock me if a 49ers pass rush develops on nickel downs where it's Bosa on one end, Rhamondre Height on the other end- Mm-hmm and then inside would be Osodiegiezue and Grayson Halton.
I, that wouldn't shock me.
Yeah, and you still have Alfred Collins, you have C.J.
West.
Those guys got some experience last year as well.
So the interior, I think is pretty solid with their rotation.
They've got a lot of players they can draw from.
It's the exterior, it's the pass rush on the edge that really needs to be developed, and I think, you know, getting Rhamondre Height there helps.
And then, Carver Willis, the offensive lineman from UDub, what did he say?
Up at UDub, the 49ers can do no wrong.
Mm-hmm.
They, they're, because of the system they run and kind of the cross-pollination, I guess, of the coaching staff up there being tied with the coaching staff down here, that he said that they're kind of used as the, the, the hallmark.
The blueprint, yeah.
Yeah, the blueprint- Mm-hmm for, how they practice, how they do drills, how they do certain things.
Mm-hmm.
And so, Carver Willis comes in, and, I did a 53-man projection, and I did starters and, and backups, this last week at nbcsportsbayarea.com.
Tell me if I'm, if I, this is wild, Jennifer.
Tell me if I'm totally off the mark, but I had Carver Willis penciled in.
No, it was, I pinned it in- as I projected him as the starting left guard.
Yeah.
I mean, his attitude and his passion, you could tell just from meeting him the first time, it doesn't matter where he plays along the five.
He said, "I just wanna play offensive line.
It doesn't matter."
And he's only played tackle since high school, but I think he's going to be able to adjust, and I thought his story about meeting Chris Foerster, offensive line coach at Spring Ball, was very telling.
Mm-hmm.
He was like, "This is so cool," just like a kid in a candy store.
I remember it was John Lynch and Chris Foerster went to that UDub Spring Ball, and it was on social media like, "Who are they scouting?"
Well, that was, I think 202- It was la- last year, right?
fours.
No, I think it was before that.
Oh, I thought it was 25.
Before that.
I thought that was, like, the, what was the guy?
Rosin, Rosengarten.
Mm-hmm, yeah.
Remember, the offensive lineman- Mm-hmm from Washington- Right a lot of people kind of tied to the 49ers, and probably- So yeah, it was last year, so that was probably when, Carver met them, and he just was like, "Wow, these are the f-," like, how often do you get to have NFL coaches work with you on the field?
Yeah.
Okay, so those five guys- Mm-hmm I think really have a chance.
These next th- three guys are very intriguing.
Mm-hmm.
And certainly we wouldn't rule anything out, but Evzhien Pryshak from, Washington- Mm-hmm cornerback.
Jayden Dugger from Louisiana Lafayette, he's a linebacker.
Mm-hmm.
And the tackle, offensive tackle, Enrique Cruz from Kansas.
I would think those guys are more developmental guys, and, you know, wouldn't shock me that if everybody's healthy, that those guys earn spots on the 53, but maybe they don't play.
You know, maybe they're- Yeah on the inactive list.
But, the special teams coordinator, Brad Boyer, did single out Dugger as being a guy that with his length and speed might be able to help out on special teams.
Yeah, he is very tall for a linebacker, and I know we've s- Kyle Shanahan spoke about how basically he's a very K.J.
Wright style linebacker.
Tall, a little leaner, but obviously his length helps him in special teams.
He could, you know, block punts potentially, definitely on the line, but could be effective there.
Yeah, and then, Pryshak, a long cornerback.
Mm-hmm.
6'3".
probably has to, you know, he didn't make as many plays on the ball, I think as, you know, you would think that- somebody who He played a lot of football, first at Arizona, then at UDub, and then, Enrique Cruz just, we talked about him as, you know, maybe two years down the road.
Mm-hmm.
I, I don't see a spot for him-You know, the i, you, you put yourself in a position to step in, in case- Mm-hmm you're needed.
But with Trent Williams signed for two more years, 49ers expect him to play these two seasons.
Colton McKivitz is signed for a few more years.
He's not, he, he's not giving up that right tackle spot anytime soon, and then Vedario Lowe looks to me like kind of the, the, the, very much the leader- Mm-hmm and the heavy favorite to be the swing tackle.
That, that selection of Enrique Cruz spoke to, let's give this a shot.
Mm-hmm.
There's no, there's no rush- Right with him.
Mm-hmm.
We can take our own sweet time.
Mm-hmm.
But let's see if this guy might have an opportunity to be a significant contributor down the road.
Yeah, I mean, he definitely will have the opportunity to learn a lot, especially from a guy like Trent Williams, and with a offensive line coach like Chris Foerster, being able to kind of get it hands-on and help him out.
just wanna go back to, Jayden Dugger really quickly.
He played safety.
He played linebacker.
He played, you know, he played on the outside as a outside linebacker.
So I think his versatility, I know they see him as a linebacker, but just the fact that he's played several different positions, in coverage, whatnot, I think that, you know, he's got a kind of well-rounded background for them to be able to plug him in if they need.
Yeah, I did not look at him and say, "Oh, there's a safety."
Right.
He's 6'5".
He's a big kid.
He is.
Very big.
Started his college career at Georgetown.
Mm-hmm, not- Not- necessarily a football school not, not even, he wasn't a basketball player, wasn't the power forward.
Mm-mm.
He kinda looks like it, though.
Yeah.
but yeah, you're right.
I mean, he bounced around and did a lot of different positions, which can either It, it works both ways.
Right.
You know, he never got a chance to play one spot and kind of- Master it m- master it.
Mm-hmm.
But he played a lot of different spots.
Mm-hmm.
And- So he's got, he has experience.
Yeah.
But yeah, he also, when he was a safety, I think he said he was shorter and, like 6'2".
Oh, yeah.
'Cause now he's 6'5".
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, honey, yeah, I mean, he definitely has a chance.
Mm-hmm.
and so, yeah, the rookie camp is, will be going.
I'm not sure what the parameters we'll glean from it.
Last year, they, one of the trial players, they ended up signing, but, it'll be, it'll be good to see those guys out there on the field and, and see who can contribute.
But, I, I tell you what, the, it, it seems to me like the 49ers feel pretty good about who they were able to get with the six draft picks they, they came into it with.
Mm-hmm.
That they were able to trade back several times, and I think they started off with picks at 27 and 58.
Mm-hmm.
Instead, their first two picks, it was 27, 58, and then to the fourth round.
Right.
And they ended up turning those picks into 33 with Stribling, 70 with Rhamilo Hight, and then 90 with Kalon Black.
Mm-hmm.
So, and then got some guys in addition to that, too.
Yeah, I think they're happy with who they got.
It definitely kind of flushes out the roster a little bit more, gives them s- guys in positions that were not necessarily positions of need right now, other than the defensive line- Right defensive edge, but gives them depth, which, you know, we all saw what happened injury-wise last year.
So depth is always a good thing.
Yeah.
And you know what's funny?
I, I sense that, in the fans I talked to, initially, like, it was, "Oh my gosh," you know, "why'd they take these guys?"
And as time has gone on and more people have, like- Mm-hmm done the deep dive and- Right watched, like, these guys play- Mm-hmm now all of a sudden, two weeks after the fact, I think fans are going, "Yeah, it was a pretty good draft."
You know, the same people going, "What are they doing?
They should- Yeah fire the entire," you know, San- Scouting department yeah, and Santa Clara County.
Mm-hmm.
Just everybody- Right who's even, even near here should be fired.
But- Mm-hmm it, I mean, but none of that matters.
It's just about how they, how they play once they get on the field, and, yeah, I mean, just getting the, the first chance to get out there and, and, the, the guys coming to this new environment.
And as I mentioned, we talked a little about, a bit about Joey Bosa, but this kinda feels like this is the team.
Mm-hmm.
You know, this, they're, they're not I'd be really surprised, you know, if they add anybody at this point that maybe even makes the 53-man roster.
I mean, they'll be bringing guys in.
Right.
There'll be a churn, but I, I, I'm not sure that, you know, there- It feels like that's kind of in the lower, like, guys who are developmental or practice squad.
Yeah.
There are guys who are eligible or that they think are candidates for the 53, there, I think, yeah, that's kind of mostly fleshed out.
And then, but, you know, also, we, we see it in training camp.
Mm-hmm.
You know, there's always, maybe, they're running low on a position, and they're able to, you know, maybe not make a trade, but sign somebody who's out there- Mm-hmm who might have a chance to stick.
But yeah, again, I think the team that the 49ers have now post-draft is the team that you can almost expect to see out there week one.
Mm-hmm.
Was it, Help me out here, Jennifer.
I've been through this so many times.
The game week one in Melbourne will be played West Coast at 5:00 or so on the- On- Thursday, but the game is actually being played in Australia on- Friday morning Friday morning.
10:00 AM.
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Do you have your ticket yet?
Do I need one?
No, you can, no, you're just gonna- You're gonna be so high on life- Yes that you can just fly on your own- Mm-hmm to, to Melbourne.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Well, what else you got?
Oh, just a bit of news.
RJ Gillen did have an interview with the Minnesota Vikings for their vacant GM position, but- Ooh yeah, no, further news other than that.
They interviewed, I think, six people.
RJ Gillen.
Um-Yeah, he's been part, he's been an integral part of the 49ers scouting department.
Mm-hmm.
there was a one year where they were just, they called him and Paraagamad like just player, director of player personnel.
Mm-hmm.
And it wasn't co.
Right.
They've changed that.
Mm-hmm.
Eh, it was probably a bad idea.
but now he's the assistant general manager.
Right.
And Paraagamad and also Josh Williams, they came out and spoke to the media after the draft.
So you know, it is, I know John Lynch is always, and he's the general manager so, you know, the buck stops with him.
But- Right but people think that he's just making decisions in a vacuum.
He's, he's definitely not.
No.
there's a lot of support here, support staff, the scouting department, the regional scouts, the national scouts.
the coaches are really involved in the draft process as well.
Mm-hmm, yep.
And it was, it's been fun to watch the coaches and hear what they had to say about the players, along with what the three guys kind of heading the, the personnel department outside of John Lynch, what they all had to say.
Mm-hmm.
There definitely is this consensus, and I know people talk about consensus outside the building, but I think within the 49ers organization, they really got together and all like the guys that they chose.
And, yeah, Raheem Morris talked about the, you know, kind of that, that process.
he really, he sounds like a head coach, doesn't he?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Well, 'cause he ha- I think 'cause he's been one too.
Well, yeah, that.
Yeah, that's true.
Yeah, I can't- He's been one I can't argue with that.
but like he, he's great talking.
Mm-hmm.
I'm not sure he really, he certainly didn't give away any secrets today.
No.
He left everything very open-ended.
Mm-hmm.
He, he, he, he said a lot when answering the questions, but really didn't, yeah, didn't give away much details or, you know, none of the, n- no real thoughts on just how they're gonna go about things.
Yeah.
So he, he didn't reveal much- Right while saying a lot.
That's normal coach speak.
Yeah, very.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's, in other words- Yeah that's coach speak.
He's been there before.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, we've been here before, and we'll be back whether you want us or not.
She's Jennifer, I'm Matt, thanks for watching 49ers Talk.
