Are fans being unfair to Javon Kinlaw?

Arguably the biggest departure for the 49ers this offseason was the trade of DeForest Buckner to the Colts for the 13th overall pick in the Draft.

Whenever that trade is mentioned by any of the talking heads on television, it is inevitably followed by a mention of the man the team drafted with that pick, Javon Kinlaw.

In today’s podcast, Bleacher Report Draft Scout Matt Miller says it’s not as simple as swapping one number 99 for another at the same position.

“Bucker somehow became under-appreciated by 49ers fans after that trade. It was like, ‘Eh he wasn’t that good anyway.’ Yeah, he is. He’s the second-best defensive tackle in football...Even if Kinlaw becomes him, he’s not going to be him year one. This is not an Aaron Donald type prospect that’s going to come in a wreak havoc day one. I think it’s foolish to say, ‘This rookie is going to come in and replace our all-pro defensive tackle.’ You cannot expect that level of play from him right now. It’s really not fair to Kinlaw if anyone puts that level of expectation on him.”

You can hear the rest of what Miller had to say about Kinlaw, as well as his expectations for Brandon Aiyuk and the offense this season by clicking the link above. Five star reviews are nice, too.