Javon Kinlaw doesn’t seem like a rookie to Nick Bosa

It takes a lot to impress the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year, but South Carolina product Javon Kinlaw appears to have done just that.

Nick Bosa knows exactly what it takes to make it successfully through a rookie season in the league. In just a few short days he has been very impressed with his new teammate, and not just by his enormous stature.

“Javon is a really good kid,” Bosa said via video conference on Thursday. “He’s really hard working in the meeting room. He knows all his stuff really well. He doesn’t seem like a rookie out there. We’ve only been out to a couple walk throughs so far and he knows his stuff and he doesn’t look like a rookie.”

Like several players had mentioned throughout the week, it has been almost a relief to get back to work after the extended away from the facility off due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Bosa reported that being able to focus for six months straight on his physical health was a nice way to get into the “best shape he’s ever been in,” but being back with his teammates has been a welcome change.

“It’s really just taken a lot of stress out of my mind and I’m enjoying it a lot,” Bosa said. “And I’m really excited for the year to come because I think we have added some great pieces. We’ve obviously lost a couple but the people we’ve added have came in and impressed me and I’m just super excited to get going.”

Bosa of course is referring to the absence of interior defensive lineman DeForest Buckner who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first round draft pick (13th overall). The 49ers traded down one spot and selected Kinlaw with the 14th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Kinlaw may be slightly shorter than both Buckner and Arik Armstead at 6’5 but at 319 pounds, he outweighs them both by nearly 30 pounds. Bookending the defensive line, Bosa and Kinlaw could become a powerhouse duo.

“He’s one of the biggest humans I’ve ever seen in person,” Bosa said. “That says a lot when you’ve had Arik and Buck on your team. I’m just excited for him to have this opportunity and I think he’s going to kill it.”