The San Francisco 49ers have been preaching versatility on defense under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, and perhaps no player has symbolized that more than fifth-round rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger.
Dugger, a safety-converted-MIKE in college, fits what the 49ers have generally liked with their linebackers from an athleticism perspective. But there’s a lot more to the puzzle, as the 49ers have moved him around all three linebacker spots and even played him in some other roles off the edge,
despite it being his first offseason with the team.
“Every day of practice, [he] plays the MIKE, WILL, and the star position,” linebackers coach K.J. Wright said of Dugger. “And now throw him a curveball, he’s gonna play D-line. You’re like, what? That can do a lot to a player’s mind. I kid you not, guys, he handled it pitch perfect. He went with the D-line, he rushed, he set the edge, showed some really good versatility. He did one-on-ones against the running backs, made it look easy.
“And so he is a linebacker. Like he’s not a D-lineman, he is a linebacker. But as time goes on, things happen. We need a 3rd down package. Hey, you go play defensive end, you go burn that edge and go get after that quarterback. He can do that. But his main position is a linebacker, but he can also down the line showcase that he can go on the line of scrimmage, be extra valuable for us.”
And this versatility isn’t new. Wright identified it on tape when scouting Dugger and felt more confident in the rookie after interviewing him during the pre-draft scouting process.
“I knew [he could be versatile] when I interviewed him in April or whatever. I knew, I was like, this guy can handle multiple [positions]. He did it in college,” Wright said.
“A guy that played safety, a guy that played on the ball, a guy that went to MIKE linebacker. I knew that he could handle what we’re asking him to do. It’s not easy, but for a guy to be able to play 3 positions, guys, 3 positions in practice is really cool to see. I’m just excited for his future. We meet every day as rookies, each and every practice. We get on the board, tell me what you see. I hand him the clicker, you’re the coach, and we just talk it out.”
Dugger is still relatively new to the linebacker position after starting his college career as a safety. And the 49ers understand that, and are looking to continue developing him at the position. But there were clear positives on tape that Wright identified which made him confident that Dugger could be a fit in San Francisco.
“I’m going to ask questions. I’m going to ask football questions. I’m going to get on the tape. Tell me what you see,” Wright continued about his pre-draft meeting with Dugger. “Walk me through your progression throughout the week and how you get ready to play a football game. I can tell guys who have a plan. I can tell guys who don’t have a plan. And he was a guy that had a plan. He had a regimen. He had a routine. And for him to just play Mike at Louisiana Lafayette, his just one year, I knew that he was still raw. He still had some growing and developing to do. He’s still growing. It’s, what, practice 10? Yeah, he’s going to keep getting better each and every time he steps on the football field.”
Now, through nearly a full offseason, Wright is seeing the film play out on the field with Dugger’s athleticism, and he feels the rookie is going to be a player.
“And the thing is with Dugger, like, he is that guy that I saw on film,” Wright added. “You guys see this man run from the numbers to the other numbers, like he covers so much grass, you know what I mean? When you see him tackle, like, we don’t obviously tackle, we see him like make contact, he’s the guy that can sink into his hips. Same way that he was in college.
“It’s just my job to make sure that keep tapping to those to those strengths that he has, but also let’s keep developing, taking on linemen. Let’s keep developing striking, get comfortable in front of the huddle because you know it’s about to be about sixty thousand fans out there next week. You got to be loud. You got to be vocal. You got to get everybody on the same page and so on. It’s obviously growing pains as a rookie, but as time goes on, he’s going to be a guy.”
