As 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw looks to bounce back from injury this season, he has looked to teammate Nick Bosa for motivation.
Kinlaw appeared in four games in 2021, where he tallied just eight total tackles and didn’t register a sack before his sophomore season was cut short by surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL. The injury news came following an up-and-down rookie campaign by the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and dashed his hopes of having a breakout season.
But now, Kinlaw has a second chance to prove he’s not a bust as he continues to rehab, and the South Carolina product has the ultimate example of what a comeback season looks like thanks to Bosa.
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Kinlaw told Brad Graham of TheSFNiners during a recent interview (h/t 49ers Webzone) that Bosa’s triumphant return to the gridiron after tearing his ACL in 2020 was thanks to consistency and hard work, and that’s something he’s tried to emulate.
“You want me to tell you why? Because he’s probably one of the hardest working people I know,” Kinlaw said. “It ain’t because he’s Nick Bosa. It’s because Nick Bosa puts in the work -- the real work.”
Less than a year after his own ACL surgery, Bosa came back to the 49ers and looked just as good -- if not better -- than he was before, playing in all 20 games for the Red and Gold in 2021. He had 15.5 sacks in 17 regular season games and tacked on four more during the playoffs, all while being one of the most double-teamed defensive ends in the NFL.
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“He’s just so consistent with everything that he does. He’s so, so consistent, he just made it easy for somebody like me who’s coming in, trying to figure it out, to follow the leader,” Kinlaw said. “I just literally came in and followed the guys that’s very successful on the team.”
Kinlaw also said he’s feeling “amazing” in his recovery so far, and it might be thanks to the dedication he’s seen from teammates like Bosa. There's a lot riding on his recovery for the 49ers, especially after losing D.J. Jones.
“I just work hard all the time now. I’ve been working hard, but it’s like I hit a different level,” Kinlaw said. “Shoutout to Nick. I’m happy for Nick. He’s a goofball, but that’s my guy.”