Kevin

Givens

A 2019 undrafted free agent, Givens, 29, has spent his entire career with the 49ers. He logged defensive snaps in 13 games over the past two seasons, and a pair of pectoral injuries kept him from getting more run. He will now compete for a role as a rotational interior pass rusher. Hopefully, the pectoral issues are behind him.

Purdy remained sidelined all week, as did WR Ricky Pearsall, who is dealing with a PCL sprain in his knee. Just eight days ago, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Purdy is considered week-to-week, so the starting quarterback’s absence is hardly surprising. Hopefully, Purdy can remain setback-free and return for the 49ers’ Week 7 game against the Falcons, though that outcome should not be viewed as guaranteed. The 49ers also ruled out WR Jordan Watkins (calf), DL Kevin Givens (pectoral) and EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee/hamstring).

Givens has been with the 49ers since 2019, when he came out of Penn State as an undrafted free agent. He has played in 57 games over five seasons with the team, most notably starting 11 games and tallying two sacks in 2022. He added 1.5 sacks as a rotational lineman last season and now the 49ers decide to bring back Givens as rotational depth for 2024.

The 25-year-old was an exclusive rights free agent, so this was his only game in town. Hasty caught 23 balls for the Niners’ banged up backfield in 2021, but he remained replacement-level as both a runner and pass catcher. Although he should have an inside track on a 53-man roster spot, Hasty will remain pure depth for 2022, and is not worth keeping around in Dynasty leagues. The Niners have also re-signed DL Kevin Givens, DL Maurice Hurst and OL Colton McKivitz. QB Nate Sudfeld was inked to a reserve/future pact.

Zierlein elaborates by saying Givens (6'1/285) “inability to defeat man-on-man engagement” could be problematic and showed specifically against Wisconsin. He’s otherwise described as a player who’s “Built low to the ground and plays with excellent leverage and pad level that allows him to seep into gaps and create disturbances.” Givens produced a 32nd percentile SPARQ athletic composite score at the NFL Scouting Combine, a mark that didn’t help his draft stock. He started 12-of-13 games in his final season at Penn State and recorded 33 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and five sacks. Givens will likely be a mid-to-late Day 3 selection.

Givens’ (6'1/285) time adjusted majorly from his initial 4.87 unofficial time. He also recorded 32 reps on the bench press, No. 3 among defensive lineman. Givens was viewed as a potential Day 3 selection entering the combine and probably retained that stock with a standard combine performance.

Givens is the fourth Penn State player to declare for the draft on Wednesday, joining offensive lineman Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates and fellow defensive lineman Shareef Miller. The 6-foot-1, 283-pound defensive tackle picked up five sacks in 2018, and 10.5 tackles for loss. Because of his ability to rush the passer he has a great chance to be drafted, but he may not hear his name picked until Day 3 unless he really improves his stock with testing.

“I think Kevin’s been a little bit of a surprise for all of us,” defensive coordinator Brent Pry said. “We were certainly excited about him. He was a very raw player coming out of high school.” Indeed, the 6-foot-1, 267-pound Givens played linebacker and running back in the prep ranks. Givens was moved to defensive end as a freshman, then converted to DT this offseason. He may have found a home and is adding weight to try to stay there long term. “He gets it,” Pry said. “He reminds me of the style of player of (senior linebacker) Brandon Bell, a guy who’s quiet but understands the game and makes plays because he sees it quicker than other guys. Kevin’s got a great feel inside.”