The resurgence of 49ers defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw has been one of the biggest non-quarterback story lines of the offseason in the Bay Area. Kinlaw on Friday gave a pretty simple explanation for why he’s suddenly looking the part of a first-round pick.
San Francisco took Kinlaw in No. 14 overall in the 2020 draft. He posted a strong rookie campaign where he started 12 of the 14 games he played and racked up 33 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pick-six. Since then a chronic knee injury has derailed him from building on that rookie year. Kinlaw played only four games in 2021 and six games a year ago.
While availability was a problem, his productivity was virtually non-existent when he did play. In his 10 games he had 12 tackles, one QB hit, and no tackles for loss.
This offseason Kinlaw changed his offseason training regimen to focus on the small muscles in his legs to ensure stability in his knee. Now the former first-round pick feels confident he’s primed for a bounce-back year.
“Playing with one-and-a-half legs is no good,” Kinlaw said in a press conference after Friday’s joint practice with the Raiders. “You think about it every snap, versus when you got two good legs. My body is improving as a whole, just been able to do some things I’ve never been able to do so it gives me superior confidence.”
Kinlaw said he no longer thinks about the knee issues that plagued him during the last two years. His performance in training camp has indicated that a page has been turned in Kinlaw’s career and for the first time since his rookie year he appears ready to take a step forward. There’s nobody more confident than him that a leap is coming.
“I’m really a freak,” Kinlaw said. “The world’s gonna see. Point blank. Period.”
