5 things San Francisco 49ers fans need to know about top NFL draft pick Javon Kinlaw
Former South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw landed his first NFL home on Thursday night. His ascent as a NFL Draft prospect was quick, and it paid off in making him a first-round draft pick, the program’s second since Jadeveon Clowney.
A few things to know about the newest San Francisco 49er.
Kinlaw: Big from the start
At the moment, Kinlaw is listed at 6-foot-5, 324 pounds, and he didn’t hit a growth spurt late. Chuck Reedy, who coached him his sophomore and junior year at Goose Creek High School near Charleston, remembered their first meeting as Kinlaw and his father drove over to meet the coaches at a new school. Kinlaw’s father, a tall man in his own right got out first, and then out came a 6-foot-5, 260-pound 15-year-old, prompting Reedy, a former Clemson offensive coordinator to express his shock in a rather blunt tone.
Kinlaw, the senior standout
Kinlaw had a good junior season at South Carolina by a lot of measures, despite battling a hip injury and several other maladies. Had he left after that in 2018, he likely would’ve been taken by some team, as his size and gifts are a rarity. But he stayed, something a little unusual at South Carolina, where borderline-to-decent draft prospects often take the plunge after their junior years. Kinlaw came back and simply wrecked show. He was an All-American, putting up six sacks and a level of defensive dominance the numbers didn’t even reflect. He then went to the Senior Bowl and manhandled multiple high-level offensive linemen.
Kinlaw, getting on the ball
Multiple coaches through Kinlaw’s early career said getting him locked in and motivated was often a challenge. Reedy said there were often moments of the field where he saw flashes of Kinlaw’s ability, but it wasn’t consistent. Off the field, he had enough challenges in school that he ended up in junior college, where his coach there described a process of pulling him on track in terms of academics and off-field work. Reedy said this season made him proud because Kinlaw was consistently applying his skills. (Kinlaw also finished up his degree in September.)
Kinlaw: up from a dark place
Through the draft process, Kinlaw has spoken many times of the challenges of his upbringing. While at the Senior Bowl, he talked about bouts of homelessness during his childhood. He talked about living in basements without running water. He spoke about taking showers with water warmed up on the stove. He told NFL.com he still sometimes has nightmares about those situations. Reedy remembered getting the sense that as a high school freshman, Kinlaw was taking a train to school, often not going. But he came through that, overcame it, got past the JUCO year and put himself in this position.
Kinlaw: He’s a proud pappa
A part of Kinlaw’s final maturation as a senior came with fatherhood. His daughter was born last spring. He said she changed his perspective, gave him something extra to play for and strive for. It wasn’t always easy, as her mother and her lived in Johnsonville, South Carolina, so sometimes he only saw her on weekends. But after games, he’d be holding her, with a pair of large earmuffs on, as he stood on the field.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 10:26 PM.
