49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive tackle Kevin Givens

Niner Noise’s latest “Who Is?” installment looks at San Francisco 49ers undrafted rookie defensive tackle Kevin Givens and whether or not he can make the 53-man roster in 2019.

During the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers parted ways with veteran nose tackle Earl Mitchell, which essentially gave third-year pro D.J. Jones the starting job in the Niners’ base 4-3 alignment.

Still, there’s room for some competitive depth in training camp, which explains why San Francisco brought aboard former Penn State defensive tackle Kevin Givens following the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Givens, who started his last three seasons in college after being redshirted his freshman year, fits the body type coordinator Robert Saleh envisions for his run-stopping 1-technique defensive linemen. At 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds, Givens is one of those short, squatty defensive tackles capable of locking up holes up the middle.

And he was relatively productive in the pass-rush department in 2018, too, picking up 5.0 sacks:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/29/2019.

But Givens will still have a tough time cracking the 49ers’ 53-man roster this season. San Francisco’s defensive line is already stockpiled well enough, meaning he’ll have to completely outshine what looks to be some deep competition during training camp.

If he does, how will Givens go about doing it?

Why Kevin Givens Improves in 2019?

One of Givens’ best attributes is leverage. He had little problem playing lower than his blockers, which made him an interior wrecking ball the past three seasons at Penn State.

And while he’ll likely make his money at the pro level as a run stopper at the line of scrimmage, Givens does have a decent array of pass-rushing moves, too. That’ll help boost his stock, as well as his ability to play multiple positions along the defensive line, not just nose tackle.

If he can translate that flexibility in training camp, while continuing to showcase above-average leverage at the snap, he’ll stand a chance.

Why Kevin Givens Regresses

Givens might be short and squatty, but he’d ideally be able to add 15 to 20 pounds of muscle to give him the added bulk to ensure he’s not overworked by bigger, stronger interior offensive linemen.

Functional strength could end up being the biggest of Givens’ problems at the pro level, as that was regularly an issue against heftier competition in college. And when he’s locked up by a blocker, he’s essentially taken out of the play.

That won’t cut it in either run defense or the pass rush.

Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2019

While much of the Niners’ upgrades to their offensive line focused on the edge, there’s still a deep cast of interior defenders capable of becoming promising backups. While Jones is the likely starter at nose tackle, other players like Sheldon Day, Jullian Taylor and Kentavius Street all stand good chances to make the cut above Givens.

An injury could change things, of course, but Givens will have to overtake Day’s experience, as well as both Taylor and Street’s physical upside — elements Givens doesn’t exactly have right now.

This essentially places Givens on the weak side of the 53-man roster bubble. His versatility and collegiate effectiveness helps keep him away from being little more than just a long shot, but it’s likely Givens’ best chance will be to try and crack the practice squad until he can get more functional strength.