The San Francisco 49ers' depth behind All-Pro tight end George Kittle is certainly important, given both his wrong-side-of-30-years-old age and the fact he's coming off a torn Achilles suffered in the playoffs last January.
Despite optimism surrounding Kittle being back in time for the regular-season opener, the Niners nevertheless need insurance options and can hope backups like Jake Tonges can fill any would-be void, should Kittle be unavailable. Luke Farrell, Brayden Willis and even the undrafted rookie, Khalil Dinkins, are in the mix.
So is Hayden Rucci.
If Rucci's name is a bit surprising, it's understandable. San Francisco signed him last January to its practice squad before keeping him on with a reserve/futures contract shortly thereafter. For a deeper dive, the former Wisconsin product went undrafted in 2024 before signing with the Miami Dolphins, ultimately getting into four games in 2025 under then-head coach Mike McDaniel.
Familiarity with a scheme not unlike that of the 49ers may help, but this won't be the only factor Rucci has to use in order to have the slightest of shots at the 53-man roster this September.
Hayden Rucci must rely on blocking skills to surprise 49ers with a roster spot
Rucci built his collegiate reputation as a blocker, not so much a pass catcher, seeing he had only 17 receptions during his four-year tenure with the Badgers.
That effectively means he'll be no challenger to Tonges, who has proven his adequacy as Kittle's primary backup in the receiving game, but there might be enough room to pressure Farrell, whom the Niners onboarded last offseason to aid in the blocking game.
Yet Farrell has nearly $1.7 million in guarantees for 2026, meaning San Francisco won't move on from him. Only an injury would open the door for Rucci to have the slightest of chances for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Instead, Rucci likely occupies that tertiary blocking role on the very back end of the depth chart during training camp workouts and into the preseason. And while there's a chance the 49ers name him to the practice squad as a scout-team commodity when the regular season rolls around, should Rucci somehow make his way onto the 53-man roster, it would be an absolute shocker and would need to accompany some other serious developments to the depth chart.
Not likely.
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