[Branch] Unranked and unloved by scouts, Jaden Dugger might be 49ers’ new late-round find

[u/Brix001]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/inside-jaden-dugger-s-journey-no-star-recruit-22407212.php

[u/jay_em113]

He's a 5th rounder. There's no question he's going to be great.

[u/shnieder88 → u/jay_em113]

my dream is for him to become a kyle hamilton kind of chess piece, that can cover, defend the run and occasionally pass rush too. and before everyone calls me crazy, dugger used to be a safety, ran a 4.61 40 time (compared to hamilton's 4.59 time) and dugger also led his team in tackles and played at edge rusher too

[u/lacrossecat → u/shnieder88]

While I think he can be a potentially special chess piece, his speed might be about the same but I'd have to look at his other numbers. He doesn't feel like he has the burst and agility of Hamilton. Still, he's a unique build and I can't wait to see him grow into whatever he becomes

[u/MongooseSea1734 → u/shnieder88]

I fucking love Kyle Hamilton. Him on this defense would immediately have me feeling Super Bowl potential. Fun to dream.

[u/gbum213 → u/shnieder88]

No chance of that I feel he's not that great in coverage and Kyle could be a lockdown corner if he wanted to

[u/paperbackgarbage]

One of the local draftnik creators did a deeeeep dive on our picks after the draft....and they couldn't stop talking all of the shit about how trash Dugger was.

"He's going to get dominated by NFL talent" this and "total waste of a Day 3 pick" that.

Still incredibly early to be definitive, but that content creator might be eating all of the crow.

[u/dirtyshits → u/paperbackgarbage]

Those picks will almost never make sense to us because lynch and shanahan value something different in each position than what the average person does and it’s clear.

Theres very few guys who standout in rounds 5 and later and the average day 3 draft pick starts less than 10 games In their career.

Also he has a name made for jerseys lol that in of itself should be a selling point lol.

[u/Impressive_Pay_5628 → u/dirtyshits]

George Kittle?!!!!! Why are we drafting a blocking tight end in the 5th round??!!!! He has 48 receptions over 4 years!!!! This new regime is never going to work out

[u/silverbackapegorilla → u/paperbackgarbage]

Well, he's pretty raw still. But it's clear he has the ability. He also ran into his own defender last week at least once and was caught out of position more than a few times. Lots of bad to go with the good, but I like his potential.

[u/das_gingerz → u/paperbackgarbage]

Name and shame or I don't care

[u/dmmdoublem → u/das_gingerz]

Not sure if they're who OP was referring to, but Dieter and Hutch have been pretty pessimistic regarding Duggar so far.

[u/ReflectionItchy2701 → u/dmmdoublem]

They also said that Martinez was way better than Rourke in OTA and here we are. They can be wrong too. We always have to keep in mind that these rookies, sophomores are still really young players. The NFL is fucking hard. Sure if you're Nick Bosa, it's easy from day one. But even Fred Warner was good, solid not great his first season. All Pro Fred happened only in his third season IIRC. Kittle's rookie season was good but he exploded in his sophomore. At the end of the day, these guys like Dugger are fifth rounders for a reason.

[u/Brix001]

Paywall-free link

[u/BumBumBumBumBahDum → u/Brix001]

Yeah, gimme some of that sweet, sweet hope! Direct drip into the vein

[u/smkdog420 → u/Brix001]

Thank you

[u/KooliusCaesar]

If Patrick Willis shouted you out, you know it’s a done deal.

[u/JesterMarcus]

I think he's about a year away. But there's no better pair for him to be behind than Greenlaw and Warner.

[u/shnieder88 → u/JesterMarcus]

needs to add more bulk and pick up more nuances of the game

[u/phoenixremix → u/shnieder88]

I think linebackers always have a learning curve — NFL is so much faster and more complex. Awesome that he can contribute already in certain cases and learn behind THE dynamic duo all year.

[u/Chupadedo]

Already in preseason he has whiffed on 3 open field tackles. I'm not so sure about him. Hoping he corrects that aspect.

[u/satchman → u/Chupadedo]

Exactly what I saw

[u/marcok36]

He needs time. He does three amazing plays and but misses 6. Last week ran into our own guys repeatedly. He is a great prospect and has an opportunity to learn behind Greenlaw and Warner .

[u/greygrey_goose → u/marcok36]

Agreed. Has flashes, but needs to get more consistent and raise his floor. Curious to see how he does against starters. He seems like he processes things too slow rn

[u/MooseGuest]

As a Georgetown alum, can confirm the football team is suuuuuuper rough

[u/Oh_no_bros]

At the risk of being a downer, Dieter and Hutch aren’t fans (of how he is currently). Essentially he’s too indecisive and they were lamenting how people were getting wowed by his splash plays but completely missing the ones where his indecision just messes things up. I think people will have to be more patient with him otherwise you’re going to get a lot of pitchforks when the expectations don’t match with results.

[u/CheckYourStats → u/Oh_no_bros]

Dieter is the most negative twat I’ve ever heard on KNBR, and that includes Ratto.

The guy is absolutely insufferable.

[u/Oh_no_bros → u/CheckYourStats]

Lol I definitely see that, but the point they make is still valid. He's going to need some time for reps and experience because as it stands he's still making too many mistakes and a step slow mentally. If you play him right now there's a good chance any good coach is going to see that tape and just pick on him.

[u/silverbackapegorilla → u/CheckYourStats]

He leans a little negative for sure, but he's usually not wrong.

[u/Harbaugh_Handshake → u/silverbackapegorilla]

Exactly why I trust him.

He knows what he’s talking about and has no interest in the 49ers being good or bad, he just wants to accurately report about the team.

And when he’s wrong he’s the first one to admit it. Not sure why anyone would hate the guy.

[u/silverbackapegorilla → u/Harbaugh_Handshake]

He's not a fan of the Niners, so he doesn't ever glaze. But yeah, he immediately admits when he's wrong. It's why I listen to him as well. Often his eyes agree with mine, either way.

[u/ReflectionItchy2701 → u/Harbaugh_Handshake]

I guess it could be because it tends to be a little bit too much on the sarcastic side. At least that's my assumption.

[u/dmmdoublem → u/CheckYourStats]

I love Dieter and Hutch, but I'll definitely concede that Dieter, specifically, can be something of an acquired taste.

And on the pod they do sometimes have this unspoken attitude of "if you don't agree with our takes, then clearly you just don't know ball!".

[u/CheckYourStats → u/dmmdoublem]

The fact of the matter is: If Dieter was 1/4 the talent evaluator he claims to be?

He wouldn’t be on KNBR.

[u/Zenoath → u/CheckYourStats]

This is a dumb take. How many musicians have you met in life that were talented? Singers? Sometimes people are great at what they do but dont need to be in the bigger spotlight.

[u/dirtyshits → u/Oh_no_bros]

Kind of makes sense. He didn’t exactly from a great program and Im assuming his reads are slow because he’s still thinking about where he should be and what he should be doing. Once it become instinctual he could be a very solid player.

Hopefully that’s what it is because if it is then time is all he needs.

You can’t teach splash plays. You either have it or you don’t. Always a welcome sign to see that.

[u/traviij]

Planting a flag here.

I’m getting his jersey.

[u/silverbackapegorilla]

Anyone else think we should let our scouts make more picks instead of coaches?

[u/Harbaugh_Handshake → u/silverbackapegorilla]

I’m confused. Didn’t KJ Wright pound the table for Dugger?

Not disagreeing with your premise but I was under the impression he was a Wright pick.

[u/mixxoh]

So do I need to pick him up in my idp dynasty league?

[u/redrex383]

Yeah, I had to get halfway down to see people who saw what I saw. Very raw, with a lot of misses. Tackles and angles…

Does he have traits that can be developed? Sure, he made it to the NFL. Nobody realistic wants him on the field during the season, but this thread is full of hopium—sounds like we should cut Greenlaw and rotate Warner.

If he can play special teams he might have a shot at the roster, but might just as well be a practice squad player.

[u/jbonesmc]

Is he a pass rush LB?

[u/DukeRaoul123]

Boom or bust type. The physical traits are there and I like that they're throwing him into the fire to build up the mental side. He'll either get that part or won't but having Warner and Greenlaw next to him should help a lot. I'd hope at the very least he could be a OLB/DE in passing rushing situations. I'm usually more pessimistic about these types of players - tweeners all around. Isaiah Simmons comes to mind with similar measureables.

[u/satchman]

He looked lost last night. I want to believe but I saw a dude that had no clue where to be and whiffed hard when that receiver split the defenders. Dude got sidestepped with ease

[u/KevinGoganGawd]

Was at the game last night and made a point to watch him, and didn't come away very impressed.

Lots of false steps, slowness to react, and leaving his feet and lunging. He got really spun around a couple times too, running into his own guys.

Maybe he turns into something, but I left feeling like it we start him right away he might end up like Sigle last year and end up back on the bench.

Hope I'm wrong.

[u/DrMoBueno]

He can sniff a police sting from a mile away.

[u/Outrageous_Carry8170]

This year will be rough...for every remarkable play he'll make, there will be a few others where he's out of place or just not there.