Getty Christian McCaffrey and Aaron Banks celebrate a 49ers touchdown on December 4, 2022.
Baker Mayfield may not have been around the San Francisco 49ers practice facility on Tuesday, December 6 amid speculation that the franchise would add him to the roster. But four linebackers were in the building with the hope of latching on with the Niners.
And included in the quartet of tryouts: Two former college football teammates of current starters Aaron Banks and Talanoa Hufanga.
Who Tried Out
Per the NFL’s transaction wire Tuesday, the 49ers worked out these four linebackers: Jordan Genmark-Heath, Isaiah Graham-Mobley, Storey Jackson and Kana’i Mauga.
But of the four, it’s Genmark-Heath and Mauga who have previous ties to Banks and Hufanga.
Genmark-Heath committed to Norte Dame in the Class of 2017 as a three-star safety by 247Sports out of San Diego private school powerhouse Cathedral Catholic. The towering Banks was also part of that ’17 recruiting class to South Bend, Indiana.
The native of Stockholm, Sweden got his start through special teams on the Fighting Irish — leading ND with 11 kickoff return tackles which was the most by a Fighting Irish player since Austin Collinsworth in 2011 per the school’s website. He eventually moved to linebacker and logged 39 games of action, but only managed to start in one contest in his ND career. He eventually transferred to UCLA as a graduate transfer in 2021 — where he went on to start at inside linebacker and collected 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks and pounced on two loose fumbles per the Bruins’ website.
Genmark-Heath, 24, went undrafted before signing a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on May 3. Yet, on that same day, he was drafted in the Canadian Football League’s Global Draft to the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder was signed by the CFL franchise on October 4, 2022.
Mauga also draws parallels to Genmark-Heath’s recruitment. Mauga signed with the same recruiting class alongside a future 49er. Except the outside linebacker from Walanae, Hawaii joined Hufanga in the Class of 2018 at USC.
Both Mauga and Hufanga came to the Land of Troy with two things in common: They were four-star recruits by 247Sports and were the No. 1 prospects in their state at their respective positions (Hufanga played at Crescent Valley in Corvallis, Oregon).
Mauga ended up playing in 43 games while starting in 24 contests. Per USC, he finished his career with 206 total tackles with 16.5 behind the line of scrimmage. He also forced two fumbles and snatched three interceptions.
Like Genmark-Heath, the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder went undrafted. He ended up signing his UDFA deal with the Denver Broncos following the 2022 draft.
What to Know About the Other LB Tryouts
Outside of the past teammates of the rising young talents on the 49ers, here’s what to know about the other two players who worked out.
Jackson: From Liberty University, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder first arrived to the Dallas Cowboys as a UDFA. He delivered 102 tackles and seven sacks in 2021 while suiting up for Hugh Freeze, who was recently hired by Auburn. That campaign was enough to convince the Cowboys to give him a try. Jackson also played for Prairie View A&M and was best known for snatching 20 tackles against Texas Southern on March 6, 2021.
Graham-Mobley: Similar to Genmark-Heath, Graham-Mobley started his CFB career as a safety before sliding over to inside linebacker at Temple and then Boston College. He posted five sacks with the Owls from 2017 to 2020 and delivered a career-best 70 tackles with 51 solo stops in Philadelphia. He busted 52 tackles and 34 solo stops in his lone season with BC. Graham-Mobley was waived by the Carolina Panthers with an injury settlement on September 13, 2022.