The San Francisco 49ers finally agreed to a rookie contract with their second round pick defensive tackle Alfred Collins. With it comes a sign of relief for the club with about a week left before training camp.
Collins was one of 30 second-round picks still negotiating their deals after the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans took the atypical step of fully guaranteeing the contracts of their second-round picks.
Getting this usually-routine issue resolved is big deal for the 49ers.
San Francisco badly needs its rookie class to be productive, but that’s especially true along the defensive line where Collins figures to slot in as a starter. If Collins struggles out of the gate it will be a huge blow to the 49ers’ revamped defensive front. He may still struggle, but every training camp rep he missed was going to increase the likelihood of that happening. The reps will also be key for Collins simply catching up on playing time he missed in OTAs while he was nursing a calf injury.
Collins can now report to camp where the 49ers rookies reported Tuesday for early strength and conditioning work before practices officially begin July 24. He’ll join fellow rookie defensive linemen Mykel Williams and CJ West battling for starting jobs where they’ll be main contributors if the 49ers defense is going to bounce back from a rough 2024.
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