Nearing the point of being labeled a bust forever, 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is poised to prove all the doubters wrong in 2022.
San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw has every right to be angry heading into 2022.
He can be angry at the fact his two years in the NFL haven’t quite gone according to plan after the Niners traded away a fan-favorite, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, then turned around and used the pick acquired in exchange to net Kinlaw at No. 14 overall in the 2020 draft.
Kinlaw can be mad he was a main focus of opposing offensive lines his rookie season in light of San Francisco suffering so many other key injuries to cornerstone players who were supposed to help him. And he could be mad at his own chronic knee injuries, too, that limited him to a mere four games in what was supposed to be a breaking-out 2021 campaign.
And, yes, Kinlaw can be mad at Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn, too.
Now entering year three and removed from surgery on his knee that reportedly has him “feeling amazing,” the 49ers will look for Kinlaw to play angry and finally live up to the first-round pedigree he had coming out of South Carolina.
The context is there for him to thrive, too, serving as that pocket-wrecking interior presence who can make life that much easier for the Niners’ cast of outside pass-rushers and run-stoppers.
It’ll be crucial for him to do this.
San Francisco’s defensive line is deep heading into 2022, but its success or failure will hinge on Kinlaw’s success in a number of different ways.
Let’s explore how.
Why Javon Kinlaw improves for 49ers in 2022
In short, there couldn’t be much better context for a bounce-back season from Javon Kinlaw this year.
At any rate, it’d be hard to match last year’s frustration in which he was shut down after playing just four games with those knee issues.
| Game | Game | Def | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | G | GS | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | Sk | Comb | Solo | Ast | TFL | QBHits |
| 2020 | 23 | SFO | 14 | 12 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 1.5 | 33 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 4 |
| 2021 | 24 | SFO | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | Career | 18 | 16 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 1.5 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 3 | 5 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 6/26/2022.
Merely playing more will be a massive uptick over last year’s efforts, and Kinlaw won’t have to be playing on a shorthanded defensive line either, especially with Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa looking to pick up where he left off during his 15.5-sack 2021 campaign.
Yet the bigger impact might be felt by what the 49ers did midway through last season, moving defensive lineman Arik Armstead inside on a full-time basis. This was partially a response to the Niners losing Kinlaw, but the D-line took notable strides forward once Armstead changed over from defensive end.
This formidable one-two punch could easily afford Kinlaw the favorable opportunities San Francisco originally envisioned when it grabbed the 6-foot-5, 319-pound lineman. And while the sacks may not come at a torrid pace, Kinlaw’s sheer ability to collapse pockets may be the difference-maker that fully unlocks the 49ers’ D-line’s potential.
Why Javon Kinlaw stays flat with 49ers in 2022
Niners fans may recall another former first-round NFL Draft pick who flashed signs of promise but never came close to living up to expectations, the 2017 selection of now-New York Jets defensive end Solomon Thomas.
Granted, the players and their attributes are entirely different, so let’s not go too far down that proverbial rabbit hole.
However, it is year three for Javon Kinlaw. Time is running out for him to make that massive impact.
Two things may work against him here. For starters, there are going to be knee concerns, and one more setback could easily convince San Francisco that it made a whiff pick on him in 2020. And while this isn’t exactly Kinlaw’s fault, injuries do play a massive role in determining how valuable a player is to his respective franchise.
Additionally, the occasional splash play Kinlaw showed his rookie season might not increase on a regular basis, rather him having an outcome of somewhat “disappearing” from plays and getting locked up by lone blockers on a snap-by-snap basis is the norm.
Unless Kinlaw plays angry, of course.
Projected role for Javon Kinlaw this season
Remember that part about context? It matters here.
The 49ers made up for losing Javon Kinlaw in part by moving Arik Armstead inside, but the uptick in usage of nose tackle D.J. Jones helped alleviate the loss, too. However, with Jones now a member of the Denver Broncos, the Niners will need to get Kinlaw playing at his best and stay healthy over the entirety of 2022.
There aren’t too many other high-end D-line interior reserves who can easily replace Kinlaw, should he miss significant time with injury. Yes, San Francisco inked veteran defensive lineman Hassan Ridgeway in free agency before drafting former UCF defensive tackle Kalia Davis. But Ridgeway is more of a rotational player, while Davis is working his way back from an ACL tear suffered last season.
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As such, Kinlaw will not only have expectations of bouncing back from last year’s frustrating campaign but will also be handed a vital role and will need to thrive in it.
From this vantage point, all the pieces are set for Kinlaw to finally justify the 49ers’ previous investment in him.
And if he plays up to par, the Niners can finally have that potent threat on the inside who pairs well with those on the outside, too.