SB Nation’s Doug Farrar wrote an article about 9 undrafted free agents that could make Week 1 rosters. National champion Mikail Kamara, a defensive lineman from the Indiana Hoosiers, was listed for the San Francisco 49ers:
Speaking of defensive lines that are figuring out their EDGE situation, the 49ers are hoping that the combination of a healthy Nick Bosa and a healthy Mykel Williams will be enough, but if you’re the 49ers, can you ever really count on health? They did add Texas Tech speed-rusher
Romello Height with the 70th overall pick in the third round, and they also signed Indiana’s Mikail Kamara to bolster that depth.
Indiana’s defense was undersold all the way through the national championship run because Fernando Mendoza and Curt Cignetti were the main stories, but Kamara was one of many prospects on that side of the ball with NFL potential. Last season, he had two sacks and 59 total pressures in 340 pass-rushing reps, and if you’re worried about his ability to get home to the quarterback, go back to the 2024 season when he had 10 QB takedowns.
49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek is one of the best in the business, and he could have some fun with Kamara as a multi-gap disruptor who has some nice power reps in his arsenal.
When you map out which edge rushers on the 49ers roster are locks, you get to Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, Romello Height, Keion White, and Sam Okuayinonu. The top four defensive tackles are Osa Odighizuwa, Alfred Collins, CJ West, and Gracen Halton.
After those four, jobs are up for grabs. Kamara can do himself a favor by showing positional versatility and the ability to play both inside and out. Kamara, having played for two different schools across six seasons, allowed him to play in multiple schemes where he was tasked with multiple jobs. He’s played in a two and three-point stance.
He’ll also have the benefit of going up against backups all preseason. Splash plays stand out. If he can get after the quarterback, especially after the season the 49ers just had rushing the passer, it’s not a stretch to imagine Kamara beating out a player like Cameron Sample or an interior UDFA like James Thompson.
Another area where Kamara can make a name for himself is on special teams. He’s a bigger body, but we’ve seen Sam O and other defensive linemen covering kicks. Kamara was covering punts in the National Championship game.
If you had to pick a UDFA, based on position, pedigree, and how quickly they could help the 49ers, Kamara is a logical selection to make the team.
