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San Francisco 49ers UDFA could not be in a more perfect situation

By Sayre Bedinger

Nov 20, 2021; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers inside linebacker Jack Colletto (12) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2021; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Oregon State Beavers inside linebacker Jack Colletto (12) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the second half at Reser Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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The San Francisco 49ers are loaded on offense. Maybe more specifically, they are loaded with versatility on offense. They’ve got running backs who can play wide receiver. They’ve got wide receivers who can play running back. They’ve got quarterbacks who can run. And then they have arguably the most versatile chess piece to grace an NFL field in the last 10 years — “fullback” Kyle Juszczyk.

Although Kyle Juszczyk excels in the art of traditional “fullbacking”, he’s much more than just a road grading blocker with a neck roll like we used to see in the 90s. Juszczyk averages a couple of touchdowns per year, he’ll give you a couple hundred yards from scrimmage, he catches passes, he blocks, and he’s made 7 straight Pro Bowls doing exactly that — a little bit of everything.

Juszczyk has become a model of where being a “jack of all trades” can take you in today’s NFL with the right coaching staff. The seven straight Pro Bowls made by Juszczyk playing such a versatile role undoubtedly played a huge factor in bringing Jack Colletto, formerly of Oregon State, to the Bay Area after the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jack Colletto a fascinating UDFA signing for the San Francisco 49ers

Jack Colletto won the Paul Hornung Award this past season at Oregon State, given to the player in college football who best exemplifies versatility. I would say it’s safe to say that Colletto did exactly that. He has played some quarterback, linebacker, special teams, he ran with the ball, he caught passes, he forced a couple of fumbles, he kicked a few field goals…

Okay, the last one isn’t true, but everything else is. Colletto drew some comparisons coming out of college to Taysom Hill, and rightfully so. Hill was a dynamic athlete coming out of BYU who seemingly lacked a true position, but an offensive wizard like Sean Payton turned him into a big-contract player by constructing an offense around his skills. As a matter of fact, the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton attempted to sign Colletto after the 2023 NFL Draft.

Now in the hands of another offensive wizard like Kyle Shanahan, and with a mentor like Kyle Juszczyk, I don’t know that there was a more befitting signing among this year’s crop of UDFAs than Colletto was for the San Francisco 49ers.

He will have an opportunity throughout the 2023 preseason to prove that he can be exactly what teams hope he can be, which is another version of Taysom Hill or Kyle Juszczyk who may not show up in the stat sheet all the time but certainly shows up on tape all the time. The great thing for Colletto about getting so highly pursued after the NFL Draft? He will have teams clamoring for him come time for roster cuts, even if he doesn’t crack the 49ers’ final 53.