You'd be forgiven for forgetting about San Francisco 49ers tight end Mason Pline.
After all, the small-school undrafted free agent merely made some modest waves during the 2024 preseason late in games and was the longest of long shots to make the regular-season 53-man roster his rookie season.
Having spent the entirety of last year on the practice squad, Pline is again hitting training camp as a long shot to fill out the depth chart behind All-Pro George Kittle.
But, the context for Pline's prospects of hanging around into Week 1 are notably better than they were a year ago.
The Niners bypassed the opportunity to add a talented rookie tight end via the 2025 NFL Draft despite the class being chock full of promising prospects. And they clearly viewed the mammoth 6-foot-7 and 260-pound Pline as a developmental piece, particularly when considering the kind of details made known during his pre-draft leadup in 2024.
To recall, here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein said about the Furman product:
- Former college hooper with room for improvement.
- His level of play significantly progressed as the 2023 season wore on.
- Build-up speed can carry him up the seam and into space.
- Huge target with big, soft hands to catch outside his frame.
- Shows necessary level of toughness to secure combat catches.
Putting things bluntly, Pline is a project. But he now has one year of development under his belt.
San Francisco has some competition on the depth chart behind Kittle, yes. Back in the fray is veteran Ross Dwelley, who re-signed after spending last season with the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers inked blocking tight end Luke Farrell, too, whose contract assures a roster spot.
After that, though, the depth chart is questionable, at best.
Brayden Willis and Jake Tonges are squarely in the mix, and both might have a leg up over Pline at the moment.
But, if the latter winds up flashing some promise during the preseason while using his massive frame to his advantage, it might simply be too tough a choice for the Niners to leave Pline off the 53-man roster.