Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

49ers rookie reports to camp with ACL injury, likely placed on NFI

Originally posted on 49ers Webzone | By Chris Wilson | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 1:32 AM ET

San Francisco 49ers seventh-round draft pick Kurtis Rourke is expected to begin training camp on the non-football injury list, as the rookie quarterback works his way back from his second ACL tear in three years.

As the San Francisco 49ers rookie class reported to training camp on Tuesday, one first-year player reported straight to the team's training room. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke will begin his professional career sidelined by the same knee injury that threatened to derail his stellar 2024 college season.

NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco was the first to report the news:

The 49ers' rookies report to training camp today. QB Kurtis Rourke (knee) can be expected to be placed on the non-football injury list.— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) July 15, 2025

Rourke partially tore his ACL during practice prior to the start of Indiana's 2024 season. The 49ers' seventh-round draft pick played through the injury during his senior year before undergoing surgery in January. San Francisco selected Rourke with the No. 227 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 49ers were obviously aware of Rourke's injury and surgery but hoped the 24-year-old QB would recover by the time summer practices began. When speaking with the media after the conclusion of the draft, general manager John Lynch explained, "We took him with the understanding that he's not going to likely be cleared until training camp."

"We're in a situation where we could take him, and I think he would've gone a lot higher if he was healthy," head coach Kyle Shanahan commented at the time.

After spending five years at Ohio University, Kurtis Rourke threw for over 3,000 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions at Indiana, finishing ninth overall in Heisman Trophy voting.

This article first appeared on 49ers Webzone and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: