Denny Medley-Imagn Images

49ers Rookie Expectations: Jaden Dugger

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated May 13, 2026 3:00 PM ET

With the NFL draft behind us, the focus has shifted to what the San Francisco 49ers' rookie draft class can do. What are realistic expectations for rookie fifth-round pick Jaden Duggers?

Jaden Dugger's rookie expectations with the San Francisco 49ers

Linebacker is a popular position to take a flier on during day 3 because a lot of them can bring special teams upside out of the gate. However, there are a lot of starters found in this range as well. Since 2010, there have been 162 linebackers drafted between picks 100 and 200, which is right in the range that Dugger went.

On average, the group started three games and had 29 tackles. There were some legitimate starters, but the majority of the group did not get on the field early. However, this group also averaged 126 special teams. There are a lot of zeroes holding this number back as well.

The only successful player to get fewer than 100 special teams snaps and fewer than 150 defensive snaps was Ja’Whaun Bentley. Every other linebacker either had over 400 defensive snaps or over 90 special teams snaps. So, if Dugger does not hit one of those two benchmarks, the odds are that he will never be any sort of legitimate contributor.

Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

If you start to remove the misses from this group, the picture gets a big more clear as well. There were 53 players who went on to start for multiple years in the NFL. Notable names include Danny Trevathan, Matt Milano, Henry To’oto’o, Dre Greenlaw, Telvin Smith, and De’Vondre Campbell. There are also some lower starters, such as Malcolm Rodriguez, Ventrell Miller, and Mack Wilson, but solid outcomes for the draft range.

That group averaged six games started and 53 tackles on defense. So, a lot of these players were able to see the field a bit earlier on defense. On special teams, they also averaged 190 snaps per season, with the lowest being 34. That was Campbell, who played 547 snaps on defense.

So, once again, whether it be special teams or defense, the expectation is that if Dugger is going to turn into more than just a flier, he is going to have to get on the field. The 49ers have a bit of a crowded linebacker room, so it will be interesting to see where he slots in and how much he can see the field, likely due to special teams.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: