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In 2023, Jaden Dugger was a safety. In 2024, he was a pass rusher. In 2025, he was an inside linebacker. In 2026, Louisiana coach Michael Desormeaux feared his star pupil could go undrafted. Because Dugger changed positions annually, some NFL evaluators weren’t sure what he was heading into April’s draft. Desormeaux said he heard a common refrain from scouts: “We just don’t see where he fits.” Desormeaux’s response: Pick a spot for him. He’ll be a great pick. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “They’d ask, ‘What does he need to work on?’” Desormeaux said. “And I’d tell them, ‘Well, he just needs to play linebacker. Or whatever he’s going to play.’” The San Francisco 49ers agreed — sort of. They believed Dugger was a late-round gem when they selected him in the fifth round four months ago. But why force a 6-foot-5, 242-pound player with gas-hose arms and extensive experience at all three levels of the defense into one position? The 49ers have leaned into Dugger’s unusual background. Some teams saw a jack of all trades, master of none. The 49ers saw a “fever backer” — first-year defensive coordinator Raheem Morris’ term for a Swiss Army knife of a linebacker who can line up as an edge rusher or a “big nickel,” the NFL’s shorthand for a hybrid safety. Dugger’s arms are longer than left tackle Trent Williams’ — 35 inches to 34¼. Only one of the 49ers’ defensive linemen is taller. This summer, Dugger has played multiple linebacker positions and joined the defensive linemen for pass-rush drills. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He competed in training camp to become the starting strong-side linebacker, and he might be the favorite for the part-time “fever backer” role. In the 49ers’ preseason finale against the Raiders on Thursday, Dugger had a team-high 10 tackles and two QBs hits, along with two big whiffs on tackle attempts in an 18-12 win. His raw potential inspired Patrick Willis to post about him on social media during the game. As the 49ers’ Hall of Fame linebacker wrote: “#53 is going to be good player.” Willis isn’t alone. “This guy,” 49ers linebackers coach K.J. Wright said, “is going to be a really, really special player.” Really? It would seem prudent to hold off on the hype. Dugger was the 154th pick after starting in just two seasons in college. In his two years as a safety, he had one interception. In his lone season as a pass rusher, he had one sack. On the other hand, it’s probably unwise to bet against him. Dugger has already overcome overwhelming odds to become an NFL draft pick. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He was a zero-star high school recruit who spent his first two college seasons at Georgetown, an FCS school that hasn’t had a player selected in the NFL draft since 1953. After two seasons at Louisiana, Dugger was not among the 319 prospects invited to the NFL combine. NFL.com’s predraft outlook: “Candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad.” Jon LeDonne, Dugger’s coach at Penn Hills High School in suburban Pittsburgh, never envisioned that Dugger would one day compete to start alongside one of the NFL’s nastiest linebacker duos, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. As a senior, Dugger was a 6-foot-3, 175-pound wide receiver and defensive back who wasn’t known for his nasty. “Not that he shied away from contact early on,” LeDonne said. “But he was just a little more finesse than physicality until he built that muscle and strength.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Dugger got the brush-off from Division I schools before he bulked up. He did receive a scholarship offer from Toledo, but he held out, dreaming of playing for Penn State or Pittsburgh. It became a nightmare. “I ended up losing the offer,” Dugger said, “and nothing else came up.” That’s how Dugger ended up at Georgetown, a basketball school with a football program that has had only one winning season since 2000. He started just four games in 2022 for a 2-9 team. That was difficult. Then he faced unimaginable adversity. On Jan. 23, 2023, his brother, Dajuan, the oldest of five siblings, died in his sleep. He was 24. Dajuan had been a quarterback at Division II Lock Haven University, setting the example for his football-playing brothers, Jaden, Dalen and Julian, a sophomore quarterback at Washington State. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “He was really the reason we started playing football,” Dugger said. “Looking up to him and seeing him get a scholarship made me set a path for myself and let me know what I wanted to do. He was a big inspiration for me. He paved the way for all of us.” Jaden Dugger wore No. 3 — his brother’s number — throughout his college career. He hopes to eventually sport it in the NFL, but wide receiver Christian Kirk, a nine-year veteran, currently wears No. 3 for the 49ers. More than three years after Dajuan’s death, the pain isn’t as acute. But the purpose born from the tragedy remains. “Time makes it easier, but you never forget,” Dugger said. “Some days are harder than others. … Something like that is terrible, but I feel like it taught me a lot about myself. I kind of feel like I’m not playing the game for myself anymore. I definitely was before.” Dugger entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season. It wasn’t an easy decision. He wasn’t guaranteed NFL consideration, and he would be giving up the chance to earn a degree from a prestigious academic institution. He also knew from his high school recruiting experience that he might not attract much interest from FBS programs. “It was a big risk,” Dugger said. But Louisiana GM Ricky Ciccone was intrigued. There was history between them: Ciccone had been Toledo’s recruiting coordinator when the Rockets rescinded their scholarship offer to Dugger less than three years earlier. “Ricky felt that was maybe a mistake — Jaden was a kid they should have taken,” Desormeaux said. “I didn’t know what he was going to be. So, essentially, we just took him as a unique player. We said that we’ve got to be able to figure out something with a guy with this skill set who runs like that, with this height and length.” Dugger arrived at Louisiana taller than expected after growing two inches at Georgetown. At 6-5, he looked like a pass-rushing outside linebacker. After one season, three starts and one sack, however, he moved to inside linebacker, partly because of a pressing positional need, Desormeaux said. Dugger filled the hole brilliantly. He led the team with 125 tackles, including 13 for loss, earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors and gained a superfan in Wright. The 49ers’ linebackers coach, who played the position in the NFL for 11 seasons, was instantly smitten. Wright “fell in love” with Dugger and knew he “had to have this dude” after studying 15 plays of his college video. Much has been made of Wright and Dugger’s shared physical profile. Wright was listed at 6-4 and 246 pounds during his career and had 34⅞-inch arms. General manager John Lynch teased Wright when he lobbied for Dugger before the draft. “You’re trying to draft yourself,” Lynch told him. But Wright was convicted by Dugger’s feel for the position. While studying video, Wright was impressed by how Dugger reacted to a reverse — taking off as if he had heard the play in the opponent’s huddle. Wright made it the second play of a highlight reel presented to head coach Kyle Shanahan. To Wright, it was evidence that the former wide receiver, cornerback, safety and pass rusher was, unquestionably, a linebacker — one who was raw but could become a star with seasoning. “He’s going to be a guy that will anticipate plays and see them before they happen,” Wright said. “That’s just a gift he has. It’s hard to coach. You just have to have the gift.” Dugger admits he once viewed another of his assets — his versatility — as a curse. When he was moved from the secondary to the defensive front after arriving at Louisiana, he was frustrated. “It was like, ‘Dang, I’m a safety. Why are they switching me?’” he said. But his mindset shifted. And his fortunes changed. Now, after overcoming Division I rejection, personal tragedy and skepticism from scouts about what, exactly, he was, he has a shot to become more than anyone imagined. “It’s exciting,” Wright said. “He’s just getting started.”