3 areas where 49ers DT Javon Kinlaw must improve in 2021

No. 3: Javon Kinlaw must be more consistent with pad level

One of the few knocks against Javon Kinlaw, when he was coming out of college, was he frequently had too high a pad level, at least according to NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein.

Kinlaw’s strength and violent tendencies at the line of scrimmage often worked more than well enough, simply overpowering lesser-caliber blockers in front of him en route to creating all kinds of havoc within the pocket.

Yet Kinlaw’s rookie season revealed more than enough evidence this small area of his game still isn’t where it needs to be.

And even though he received credit for half a sack on this play below, Kinlaw’s pad level was too high, to begin with:

In Kinlaw’s defense, he did manage to disengage with his blocker quick enough to take down New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston. But if Winston had evaded the pressure around the edge instead of trying to step through the pocket, Kinlaw would have been too late.

Fortunately, it’s a small adjustment and something defensive line coach Kris Kocurek will surely be emphasizing a lot this upcoming training camp.