Undrafted free agents have a long road to make a 53-man roster, but BYU’s Jakob Robinson has a legitimate shot at hanging around with the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers onboarded a total of six undrafted free agents following their 11 selections from the 2025 NFL Draft.
One of the six, former BYU cornerback Jakob Robinson, is a player fans should monitor as he navigates his way toward a roster spot in year one.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound defensive back is undersized, yes. And there’ll be question marks about his durability when tasked with matching up against bigger, stronger pass catchers in contrast to the ones he regularly faced at the collegiate level.
That said, Robinson proverbially punches above his weight class, displaying a willingness to take on bigger-bodied wide receivers in coverage.
Why Jakob Robinson is a player to watch for 49ers
UDFAs have a significantly tougher path to a 53-man roster than drafted rookies. While the Niners have plenty of roster spots up for grabs, it’s likely they’ll give their drafted defensive backs, Upton Stout and Marques Sigle, much more leeway in surviving cuts later this summer.
Both of those backs are smaller in stature, too, so Robinson’s size shouldn’t be held against him. Plus, during coordinator Robert Saleh’s first tenure in San Francisco, the 49ers inked veteran nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams to a sizable free-agent deal, and his (lack of) size wasn’t a problem then.
What Robinson lacks in size is made up for in both experience and ballhawking mentality.
A four-year starter at BYU after transferring over from Utah State in 2021, Robinson tallied 11 interceptions and notched 21 pass breakups. He also wasn’t afraid to get into the backfield, notching nine tackles for a loss over a five-year span.
Saleh doesn’t mind sending nickel corners on blitzes, so it would appear Robinson fits the mold of a defensive back who doesn’t mind getting dirty in the tackling department.
Those traits will serve him well, and there’s a reasonable chance he carves out a spot on the 53-man roster in year one.
