Grading the 49ers' Rookies at the Bye

On Thursday, I graded the 49ers' play callers at the bye. Now it is the 49ers' rookies turn to be graded.

Javon Kinlaw: C

Entering the 2020 season, Javon Kinlaw had some enormous shoes to fill as DeForest Buckner's replacement. Of course, Kinlaw in his rookie year is never going to fill the shoes of an All Pro. Even without the comparison, Kinlaw has been fairly average this season. It took him until Week 10 against the Saints to tally his first sack. That may seem disappointing, but he is actually meeting my expectations of him this season.

Remember, Kinlaw and the rest of the rookies in the league went without offseason reps and a preseason. That removed a ton of reps for him to get up to speed with and become more polished for the season. Kinlaw was always going to have a rough going in the first half or so of the season. But now that he has 1.5 sacks after his last game, expect him to start standing out more and more in the last six games.

Brandon Aiyuk: A

Despite missing some games, Brandon Aiyuk has looked better through 10 games than Deebo Samuel did last season. And Samuel had the luxury of having Emmanuel Sanders by midseason, which is when Samuel started to explode. Aiyuk doesn't have that veteran to guide him. The fact that Aiyuk is balling without one is mightily impressive. His talent is undeniable and probably even underrated.

Aiyuk is more than just a dump-off-pass receiver, even though he makes it look good. He really is the "do it all" receiver for the 49ers. He is capable of going deep, being utilized as a gadget, and isn't afraid to block. You can see why Kyle Shanahan wanted to trade up for him. Aiyuk's immediate impact is clearly felt and almost surprising because he didn't have many offseason reps. But the 49ers gave him a heavy plate in training camp while Samuel was recovering from injury, so that has forced him to expedite his learning curve and the results are paying dividends.

Charlie Woerner: D

I can't grade tight end Charlie Woerner any higher because I didn't have any real expectations for him. When he was drafted I saw it as the same grade as I am giving him now. In fact, if it wasn't for all the injuries at the tight end position he would assuredly be on the practice squad. Woerner isn't getting anymore than a sprinkle of snaps per game. The 49ers have not had any indication of increasing his workload and a lot of that has to do with how raw he is as a route-runner. The guy just has no finesse to him.

I know his hype in the draft was that he is a bulldozing blocker of a tight end, but if you recall last season that Levine Toilolo was actually out there for a handful of snaps a game and made a bit of an impact. Woerner is not moving the needle and until he can start terrorizing more as a blocker or become a more viable receiving option, he is just a nobody.

Jauan Jennings: INC

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings was a seventh-round pick for a reason, so of course he was not going to receive much attention. The most attention he received this season was that he was going on the practice squad Injured Reserve list. Because of that, I can't really give Jennings a grade. You just have to wonder if he would have been brought up from the practice squad given all the missing players at wide receiver for the 49ers. I am sure he would have been against the Packers.

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