The 49ers added big interior defensive lineman Kalia Davis with the first of their two compensatory 6th-round picks.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted University of Central Florida interior defensive lineman Kalia Davis with the 220th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Davis will give defensive line coach Kris Kocurek another big body to deploy along the Niners’ defensive front as they try to replace D.J. Jones’ production.
Davis has a limited amount of tape over the past two years after opting out of the COVID season and tearing his ACL this past year after just five games. However, he was an immediate contributor to UCF back in 2018 and has consistently made an impact. He appeared in 32 games and recorded 61 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and four sacks. In just five games in 2021, he amassed 17 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack.
The 49ers retained Kevin Givens and Maurice Hurst while signing Haasan Ridgeway and Chris Slayton to sure up their interior front this offseason. However, none of those names were close to as productive as D.J. Jones was for the Niners last season. Davis will have an opportunity to make the team.
Davis is a player the Niners hosted before the draft. He primarily lined up as a 3-technique but also played some 1 and 0-technique too. Davis tore his right ACL five games into his 2021 campaign. He also sat out of 2020 due to the pandemic. He’s a lot like Kevin Givens in the sense that he has an explosive first step and great snap anticipation.
Big Board Rankings:
ESPN: 244
Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com): Unranked (out of 150)
PFF: 166
Danny Kelly (The Ringer): Unranked (out of 100)
Dane Brugler (The Athletic): 149
Consensus Board: 206
Center and safety are the most glaring holes left on the 49ers roster, but it might be unlikely to see San Francisco add another offensive lineman. They do have some questions about their depth at tight end but have mostly added players at their biggest areas of need in the draft.
Here are the 49ers’ remaining picks: 221, 262