Jordan James, Romello Height and 8 other young 49ers poised to break out in 2026 (paywall)
“Is the fifth-round pick a middle, weakside or strongside linebacker? The answer to that question: Yup. The uniquely sized Dugger — 6 feet 5, 242 pounds with 35-inch arms — was a middle linebacker at Louisiana, but he appears to have the skills to line up at any of the three spots.
Dugger’s level of competition at Georgetown (yes, the Hoyas have a football team) and Louisiana might make for a slow transition to the NFL. And the 49ers might be eying him mainly as a coverage ace on special teams this season.
Still, his new linebackers coach, K.J. Wright, was an enthusiastic advocate during the draft process, and Dugger seems custom-made for the strongside role that was problematic last season when opponents, especially the Los Angeles Rams, attacked the 49ers with tight-end-heavy sets.”
49ers’ opponent, date revealed for second international game in Mexico City
“The 49ers are likely to spend the week practicing at a high elevation to better adjust to the 7,200-foot altitude of Mexico City.”
Former 49ers safety calls Ji’Ayir Brown ‘delusional’ over self-evaluation
“Ji’Ayir f–king Brown calling me on the phone, trying to check me, telling me I can’t talk bad about him when he has a bad play,” Whitner said on his podcast, The Grit Code. “He called me and Richard Sherman on the phone, that he used to respect us and that we’re not keeping it G because we told the truth about his deficiencies.
“Ain’t that some bulls–t? You f–king know that you played like s–t last year.”
Whitner went on to ask Brown for an honest assessment of his own play. The response only reinforced Whitner’s opinion.
“I said, ‘Ji’Ayir, honestly, do you feel like you played like a top safety last year?’” Whitner commented. “He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘So, you felt like you should have made the Pro Bowl last year?’ He was like, ‘Yeah.’ In that moment, I knew that the kid was just f–king delusional.”
“Now, if you’ve got a valid point, I’m willing to listen to it,” Whitner said. “But if you play like s–t, and I analyze it, I’m gonna continue to analyze it that way.”
Former 49ers safety Donte Whitner had some harsh words for Ji’Ayir Brown
“You have to get better in the deep half, in the middle of the field. You have to get better at pre-snap communication and reading formations. In Cover 2, you have to read your No. 1s. You have to keep a proximity of 15 yards deep, 2 yards inside the inside shoulder of the No. 1 wide receiver [and] you have to keep pace and pedal with urgency.
“You have to have knee bend [and] you have to read out of your peripheral vision what the quarterback is doing; you have to be ready to break efficiently at certain angles. That makes you a professional. That makes you an expert at your position.”
That’s just coachspeak. Nothing really specific. He’s just telling Brown where and how to line up and where his eyes/keys are. That’s why most of this feels empty. Whitner wants Brown to improve, but isn’t highlighting anything from the 2025 season. Instead, it’s empty platitudes that don’t help the player.
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