What Javon Kinlaw could work on, according ex-49ers GM Scot McCloughan

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Javon Kinlaw will be expected to come in and make an impact for the 49ers from Day 1 after being selected with the No. 14 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

This is especially true since San Francisco traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts this offseason and took Kinlaw with the draft pick they received in exchange. It obviously isn't fair to expect him to be Buckner right away, though. 

While Kinlaw was voted a First-Team All-American as a senior, he only had 10 sacks over his three years at South Carolina. Former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan believes he knows why.

"When you watch the tape, he could have had probably eight sacks as a one-technique. But he just can’t put it all together at once," McCloughan said to The Athletic's Matt Barrows. "He’d be really good at the takeoff, beat the guy, swim him and then all of a sudden he can’t figure out what’s the next step.

"'Do I keep going forward? Or do I slow my feet down in case the quarterback moves?' And I don’t know if he’ll ever have that."

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Despite having a four-year college career, Kinlaw still is a raw player. He grew up in Trinidad and Tobago with his mother and two siblings before immigrating to Washington, D.C. There he spent a chunk of his childhood homeless. 

Kinlaw attended Goose Creek High School in South Carolina and was a three-star recruit, according to Rivals. He also went to Jones County Junior College before playing at South Carolina. 

McCloughan also pointed out that in reality, it might not matter too much if Kinlaw can't put everything together at once. 

"It doesn’t matter for the position they’re gonna play him at," McCloughan said. "You can be a disrupter. Because being a disrupter means somebody else on your left or on your right or behind you is making a s--tload of plays, because you’re getting that running back to change direction or the quarterback to get out of the pocket."

[RELATED: Ex-49ers GM McCloughan didn't give Aiyuk first-round grade]

Here's the good news for Kinlaw: Nick Bosa will be playing to his left and Arik Armstead will line up to the rookie's right. Those two combined for 19 sacks last season. 

McCloughan gave Kinlaw a solid first-round grade, and it's clear the talent around him only sets him up for success.

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