San Francisco 49ers set to sign UFL standout to address edge rush void left by Drake Jackson

The United Football League is becoming a successful pipeline for talent that has flown under the radar to get a shot in the NFL, and one of the stars of the UFL's 2024 season is getting a second chance with the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, is signing defensive end Jonathan Garvin following an impressive UFL campaign with the Birmingham Stallions.

The Stallions won the UFL title thanks in no small part to Garvin's contribution.

He registered only 3.5 sacks, but had the highest grade of any UFL edge rusher in the 2024 regular season, per Pro Football Focus.

Garvin had 34 pressures in the regular season and a pass rush win rate of 22.4% that was second among edge rushers.

A former seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of Miami, Garvin spent three seasons in Green Bay from 2020 to 2022.

Garvin tallied only 1.5 sacks in that time but he will hope he can impress enough during the remaining weeks of training camp and preseason, which the 49ers open on the road against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, to build a case for having a role with the Niners in 2024, be that on the 53-man roster or the practice squad.

What Garvin will give the 49ers for now is much-needed edge rush depth, their options in that area having taken a hit with the news that Drake Jackson will miss the entirety of the 2024 campaign because of the knee injury he suffered last season.

Garvin undoubtedly has the athletic profile to succeed as a 49er edge rusher, possessing the explosive traits San Francisco looks for in players at that position having posted a broad jump in the 95 percentile and a vertical leap in the 89th percentile among defensive linemen ahead of the 2020 draft.

Should those physical gifts translate to disruption during camp and the exhibition season, Garvin may prove to be an extremely useful late addition to the roster.

Related: Takeaways from the release of the 49ers' unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener