49ers UDFA Anderson making early comparison to Kocurek’s DJ Jones

49ers UDFA Anderson making early comparison to Kocurek’s DJ Jones originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

One of the newest 49ers is already drawing comparisons to a former Niners great.

San Francisco last month signed Evan Anderson as an undrafted free agent, and 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek said the Flordia Atlantic defensive tackle reminds him of former 49ers defensive end DJ Jones.

“I think it’s down to about 315 [pounds] right now, which is good, about the desired weight we envision for him,” Kocurek told reporters Wednesday. “Watching tape of him in college, every time I turned on the tape, he reminded me of a guy we had in the past, DJ Jones. Strong with explosive characteristics in the lower body to be able to explode out of his stance, recreate the line of scrimmage, take down guards – some of the things DJ Jones did for us there playing the 2i from 2019 to 2021 and just the effect that DJ had on the teams in the running game.

“I saw a lot of the same qualities in Evan, very quick feet, he can change direction very quickly, has a very thick and explosive lower body, has natural leverage built into his body, another young man we are very excited about. to see him come here every day and work as hard as he can and stack one day on top of the other and get a little better every day and see where it ends here in February.”

Jones was selected by the 49ers in the sixth round (No. 198 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft and became a key piece in transforming San Francisco’s defense into one of the league’s best against the run.

After five seasons with the Bay, Jones left the Red and Gold as a free agent and signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022. Since then, the 49ers have yet to find a suitable replacement.

Anderson could be the player who finally fills that gap.

The 6-foot-4, 326-pound offensive lineman racked up seven sacks and 20 tackles for loss in his four seasons at Flordia Atlantic.

Jones was a sleeper who quickly became a hidden gem for the 49ers, and the team is now hoping for the same in Anderson.

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