The San Francisco 49ers have built a winner out of a simple roster strategy: Amass as many superstars as possible, and fill out the rest of the roster with low-cost options capable of playing supporting roles. While the Niners are in the middle of a major transition on both sides of the ball, they've continued to uncover hidden gems who can make an impact.
Tight end Khalil Dinkins might be the latest example. The undrafted free agent out of Penn State may never become a household name, but he has a chance to make the 49ers' roster if he shows out in training camp.
In fact, Dinkins might be the Niners' UDFA in the best position to win a roster spot in the coming weeks.
49ers UDFA TE Khalil Dinkins could be a surprise roster inclusion
The 49ers don't exactly have the deepest of tight end groups. After George Kittle, they're currently relying on Jake Tonges, Luke Farrell, and Brayden Willis to hold down the position. If Kittle isn't ready to start the season, the group becomes alarmingly thin quickly. While the superstar tight end expects a Week 1 return, it's hard to guarantee anything coming off an Achilles injury.
Tonges has shown that he can fill in for Kittle, but what will the Niners get out of Farrell and Willis?
Dinkins has a chance to unseat Willis as the final tight end on San Francisco's roster. He's not the receiving threat that Kittle and Tonges are, but he can make an immediate impact as a blocker. On 59 pass-blocking snaps in his final season at Penn State, he allowed only two pressures. He moved defenders in the run game, too, earning a PFF run blocking grade of 65.2.
The tight end only caught 14 passes in 2025, but he scored on two of them. In fact, he's scored touchdowns on a staggering 18.9 percent of his career catches.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic thinks that Dinkins has a chance to make the roster. In a recent "mailbag" article, he said, "If George Kittle (Achilles) begins the season on the physically unable to perform list, there’d be an opening for a third tight end after Luke Farrell and Jake Tonges. Dinkins, a blocking specialist, would have to beat out Brayden Willis for that role."
Rostering multiple capable tight ends is becoming more and more important in the modern NFL. While the 49ers aren't leaning into this trend as much as some other teams (they don't need to because of Kittle's versatility), they significantly increased their rate of multi-tight-end formations last season.
Dinkins is far from being a roster lock. He needs to surpass Willis in training camp to have a realistic chance. But if his tenacity as a blocker translates to the NFL, he could quickly win over his new coaching staff.
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