The San Francisco 49ers announced that they’ve signed eight undrafted free agents:
P Jack Bouwmeester
TE Khalil Dinkins
DT Bryson Eason
WR Wesley Grimes
DL Mikail Kamara
WR Will Pauling
S Jalen Stroman
DL James Thompson
Punting competition?
Bouwmeester punted for Texas last season. He punted at Utah for the three previous seasons. Bouwmeester averaged 44.5 yards per attempt this past season, with a net of 38.9. However, his longest was 62, and he had at least a 50-yard punt in nine out of 13 games for Texas in 2025. Bouwmeester’s
average hangtime was 4 seconds.
The 49ers signed Corliss Waitman this past offseason. The 31-year-old is on a one-year deal. The 49ers investing in a punter could also be them getting out in front of free agency next season if Waitman doesn’t work out, and already having an option on the roster.
Adding a variety of pass catchers
The 49ers love their heavier tight ends. Dinkins is no exception, weighing over 250 pounds at 6’4 1/4″. Dinkins wasn’t heavily involved in the passing game at Penn State, but the personnel staff must’ve seen something in him during his collegiate career to feel he can contribute to the active roster.
Perhaps it’s blocks in space like this:
Pauling is on the smaller side at 5’9″, 183 pounds. But he’ll add much-needed team speed to the roster after a 42″ vertical and 4.37 40-yard dash at Notre Dame’s Pro Day.
Grimes is not small. He’s 6’2″, 195 pounds. He wasn’t often targeted in college, but he’s another receiver in this draft to run sub-4.4. It’s evident what the Niners’ objective was heading into this draft: no longer having to worry about rostering receivers who can’t run away from defenders.
A safety who lost his spot as a starter last year
Jalen Stroman came in a hair over 6′ and a couple of pounds north of 200. He did not run well, with a 4.69. Truthfully, none of his athletic testing would show up in the green. Stroman began and ended the season as a starter for the Irish, but that wasn’t the case during the middle of the season.
Stroman, a fifth-year senior, was benched for a redshirt freshman for four games. Stroman will need to show that he’s capable of playing much faster than he did during testing. Here’s Sports Info Solutions’ scouting report on him:
Jalen Stroman projects as a No. 4 backup safety at the next level. Stroman’s skill set will be best utilized in a strong safety role closer to the LOS and in situations where he can attack downhill with physicality and intensity, though he has the experience and skill set to also play either safety spot in a 2-high scheme. He is an above average tackler who closes quickly on ballcarriers, but can be over-aggressive at times and overrun tackles. Stroman has the speed and fluid hips to be effective in man coverage against tight ends and bigger receivers and in zone coverage as an underneath defender or deep-half player, but lacks the high-end range to function as a true single-high free safety. He is quick to trigger downhill in the run game, but shows inconsistencies when it comes to instincts in pass coverage, often letting himself lock onto receivers without properly feeling out route combos. On 3rd downs, he is most valuable as an underneath defender, whether that be in zone or matched on a tight end. He has the physicality, competitiveness, and expansive special teams experience to make an immediate impact as a core-four special teamer.
It’s a thin safety room, which makes you wonder why the team didn’t feel the need to add another body. Then again, tweeners like Jaden Dugger, a safety convert, might fill that role.
Getting big again on the defensive line
Bryson Eason is 323 pounds. James Thompson is 308 pounds. Mikail Kamara, who plays EDGE, weighs 262 pounds. San Francisco watched their defensive line get pushed around last season and was intent on adding beef in this draft.
Thompson has the best chance to make the roster if we’re following the money. The Niners gave him $280,000 guaranteed. He finished third in this draft class in quick pressure percentage among defensive tackles.
Kamara is also a sixth-year senior. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to season-ending injuries. Kamara played in a three-point stance the majority of his career. While he had only 2 sacks last season, he had 9.5 in 2024. Kamara finished last year with 48 pressures and had 66 pressures in 2024. The volume was there, but at 6″, he’s got an uphill battle with the lack of size and length.
Eason is the body type to replace Jordan Elliott. Eason’s job would be to eat blocks and free up the second-level defenders behind him.
Will any of these players make the 49ers’ Week 1 roster? Will we see them on the active roster at any point during the regular season?
