The San Francisco 49ers are loaded with high-priced veterans, especially on defense. So it’s a little surprising to see journeyman safety Jason Pinnock listed as one of the unit’s top players from their recently held OTAs.
Yet, according to 49ers insider David Lombardi, the former New York Giants and Jets safety was a standout at the club’s first organized practice of 2025.
Pinnock is set to enter his fifth NFL season yet spent the past three with the Giants. He helped New York reach the playoffs in 2022 and started 16 games at safety in each of the past two seasons.
Pinnock signed a bargain one-year deal worth $2.2 million with the 49ers this off-season, and he is likely to be a reserve in the 49ers secondary. But if Lombardi is to be believed, Pinnock may be more of an impact player in 2025.
Why Was Jason Pinnock An Impact Player At 49ers OTAs?
Lombardi listed the eight most impressive players at 49ers OTAs, and Pinnock was the first player he named and cited injuries to starters Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha as the main reasons why.
But Lombardi also referenced Pinnock’s physical gifts, since he is 6-0, 200 pounds and was the No. 1 safety last season for pass rushing, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Jason Pinnock, to me, physically is a very, very impressive player,” said Lombardi, the Niners beat writer for the San Francisco Standard. “He’s got prototypical safety height; he can jump 40 inches; he runs a sub-4.5(-second) 40(-yard dash).
“This is an athletic specimen whom Robert Saleh believes in.”
To Lombardi’s point, Saleh had a hand in selecting Pinnock in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft when he was still the Jets head coach. Saleh, who was fired midseason as Jets coach in 2024 and returned to the Bay Area for a second stint as Niners defensive coordinator, is continuing a trend in bringing in “his” guys, according to Lombardi.
“That’s been a key for so many of the 49ers defensive acquisitions,” Lombardi said. “Robert Saleh was Pinnock’s first coach with the New York Jets. This is a guy who (has) started 30-plus games at the NFL level. He’s looked at home at the safety position over the course of OTAs.”
What 49ers Impressed At OTAs?
Aside from Pinnock, the usual suspects were on Lombardi’s list of standout performers during OTAs.
Lombardi singled out quarterback and newly signed Brock Purdy, veteran running back Christian McCaffrey and fledgling No. 2 wide receiver Jauan Jennings as three of his impressive performers. Each player should be on this list but also will be under heavy scrutiny during the 2025 season after San Francisco’s 6-11 record in 2024.
Aside from those four, two other wide receivers, Jordan Watkins and Jacob Cowing each qualified for Lombardi’s list of standouts.
Considering how the injury bug bit the Niners’ wide receiver room in 2024, and that Deebo Samuel is a member of the Washington Commanders, each may have an impact.
“Any receiver who can step in, and look decently comfortable in this system, you are doing something right,” Lombardi said, while adding that both Watkins, who the Niners chose from 138th overall this year, and Cowing, last year’s 135th pick, have something to prove at training camp.
