Javon Kinlaw Drafted by 49ers: San Francisco's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1

The San Francisco 49ers selected South Carolina Gamecocks defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday.

Here's a look at the team's projected defensive depth chart after the selection:

LDE - Arik Armstead, Dee Ford

DT - Javon Kinlaw, Kerry Hyder

DT - Solomon Thomas, Jullian Taylor

RDE - Nick Bosa, Ronald Blair III

OLB - Kwon Alexander, Mark Nzeocha

MLB - Fred Warner, Joe Walker

OLB - Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair

CB - Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams

CB - Emmanuel Moseley, Ahkello Witherspoon

FS - Jimmie Ward, D.J. Reed Jr.

SS - Jaquiski Tartt, Marcell Harris

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

Kinlaw's production steadily increased across three years with the Gamecocks.

The 22-year-old South Carolina native registered career-high totals in total tackles (35) and sacks (six) to go along with two passes defended and two fumble recoveries in 12 games during the 2019 season.

His backstory has generated a lot of attention leading up to the draft. His family struggled to escape poverty while he was growing up, which led to a cold home and days where he'd remain on the train rather than going to school just to enjoy several hours of warmth.

"I still dream about those problems and a lot of those situations," Kinlaw told Chase Goodbread of NFL.com in February. "Nightmares, really."

He added: "Not having electricity, not having heat, it all developed me into what I've become: a hard-nosed kid."

Kinlaw also didn't allow the benefits of being a college football player at a high-profile program to overshadow the hardships others continue to face.

"Homeless people come up to me all the time, and I don't know why they pick me," Kinlaw, who said he's got "big plans" to help the homeless, told Goodbread. "There can be 1,000 other people walking by who they could ask for help, and they always walk up on me. It's like, somehow, they know where I've been."

"

Here is every sack by South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw in 2019: pic.twitter.com/h5nNOtetDc

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 15, 2020"

On the football field, he tallied 82 total tackles, 10 sacks, eight passes defended, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in 29 games for the Gamecocks.

Kinlaw was flying below the radar for a while, but his breakout performance at the Senior Bowl moved him to the forefront of the conversation at defensive tackle. His ability to make a wide-ranging impact as an interior lineman gives him elite upside once he polishes his technique. 

The 2019 First Team All-SEC selection should make an immediate impact alongside Dee Ford, Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas with the Niners.

"If I had to say...I'd say the 49ers," Kinlaw said in a B/R AMA before the draft when asked which team he'd most like to get drafted by.

His impact may not always show up in the box score, but he should be a key cog within the San Francisco defense for the foreseeable future.