San Francisco 49ers have a history with Gamecock players. Will Muschamp explains why
The San Francisco 49ers have a good history with South Carolina players. Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp gave his insight on why that might be the case.
The 49ers took USC defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw with the 14th pick in the first round of NFL Draft on Thursday. He was the highest Gamecock drafted since Jadeveon Clowney went No. 1 in 2014.
Kinlaw’s pick comes after the 49ers took USC wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the second round last year. Samuel caught 57 passes for 802 yards and also rushed for 141 yards with total touchdowns as an NFL rookie last season. In the Super Bowl, Samuel rushed for 53 yards, most-ever by a receiver.
Since 2011, seven Gamecocks have been drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.
“I know coach Kyle Shanahan really well and developed a relationship with (general manager) John Lynch,” Muschamp said Friday on 107.5 FM’s Lunch Show with Pearson Fowler and Erik Kimrey. “When we went through the process with Deebo, they had a lot of questions about Deebo and the injury history. I told him he will be a good practice player and he is going to be explosive with the ball. You saw how much they used him.
“When they got him, they saw how dead on we were in our evaluation with Deebo, and I think John appreciated that and leaned on us in terms of evaluation of Javon.”
Kinlaw filled an immediate need for the 49ers, who traded away lineman DeForest Buckner in the offseason.
During the draft process, the Goose Creek High standout’s story got national attention. He shared details of his upbringing: Kinlaw and his family dealt with homelessness in the Washington, DC area after his mother brought him and his brothers to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago.
After Goose Creek, Kinlaw went to Jones Junior College before arriving at USC at 340 pounds. But with the help of coaches and self-determination, Kinlaw transformed his body into a top-notch prospect.
Kinlaw slimmed down and worked his way into USC’s starting lineup. He had six sacks and 35 tackles in 2019.
Kinlaw also became a father this year, which Muschamp said helped him grow even more as a person.
“I look at a guy who made incremental improvement from year one, to year two to year three,” Muschamp said. “I think his best ball is ahead of him. He is a self-starter who is going to go work and compete.”
Other Gamecocks taken by San Francisco since 2010:
2011: Chris Culliver, third round
2013: Marcus Lattimore, fourth round
2014: Bruce Ellington, fourth round
2015: Mike Davis, fourth round
2015: Busta Anderson, seventh round
2019: Deebo Samuel, second round
2020: Javon Kinlaw, first round
