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49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore

By Peter Panacy

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 13: Kapron Lewis-Moore #89 and Matthias Farley #41 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a blocking field goal against the Standford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 13, 2012 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 13: Kapron Lewis-Moore #89 and Matthias Farley #41 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate a blocking field goal against the Standford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on October 13, 2012 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Veteran defensive lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore has an uphill climb to make the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster in 2019. How will he go about doing it?

The San Francisco 49ers don’t exactly have a lot of room along their defensive line heading into the 2019 season, which doesn’t bode well for 29-year-old lineman Kapron Lewis-Moore.

In case you were wondering about Lewis-Moore’s background, he was taken by the Baltimore Ravens back in Round 6 of the 2013 NFL Draft and has certainly bounced around the league a lot since then. Lewis-Moore spent his first two years at the pro level on injured reserve, saw five games of action in 2015 and recorded three tackles, was cut the following year before signing on with the Chicago Bears in 2017, then back to the Ravens on their practice squad and then joining the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018.

In January of 2019, the Niners brought Lewis-Moore aboard on a reserve/future contract.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Lewis-Moore does have size on his side, which is good. Yet the overly crowded defensive front for San Francisco isn’t exactly a place where he’ll be able to cut his proverbial teeth.

Why Kapron Lewis-Moore Improves in 2019

At this point in his career, Lewis-Moore would have to showcase some serious versatility to climb the depth chart.

He’s arguably a bit too big to earn his money as an outside rusher, therefore limiting him to traditional inside duties. While he posted some decent sack totals his senior year at Notre Dame, Lewis-Moore isn’t exactly a sack specialist. That was a long time ago, anyway.

It’s possible Lewis-Moore winds up being something of a third-string pocket-wrecking force, and those are always valuable along the interior. But the 49ers already have a lot of those.

Why Kapron Lewis-Moore Regresses

Lewis-Moore bouncing around the league a lot since being drafted tells you much of what you need to know. Signs would point to him being a good camp body, capable of adding some competition during training camp with some added moments during the preseason after starters and immediate backups come out.

That said, it’s hard to impress the coaching staff when you’re not getting premier reps. And with depth linemen — Kentavius Street, Ronald Blair, Jullian Taylor and others — seemingly ahead of Lewis-Moore on the depth chart, it’s likely you won’t hear much of Lewis-Moore’s name called between now and September.

Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster

Either one of two things will need to happen for Lewis-Moore to make the cut. He’ll have to have a training camp for the ages, in order to overtake multiple D-linemen ahead of him, or Lewis-Moore will merely be the beneficiary of multiple injuries.

And no one wants to see the latter happen.

Since he’s on a reserve/future contract, Lewis-Moore wouldn’t count for any dead money if the Niners elect to let him go once the preseason comes to a close.

Next. How 49ers will utilize Dee Ford, Nick Bosa on defense in 2019. dark

In all likelihood, those reps will be the only time Lewis-Moore fans will see him on the field donning red and gold this season. He’s about as long shot as it gets, especially considering the depth San Francisco has here.