National Champion Mikail Kamara faced one of the harshest realities in professional football. Just a month ahead of the regular season, the undrafted rookie was carted off the field during practice and waived by the San Francisco 49ers per protocol.

“Rookie DL Mikail Kamara, whom the 49ers waived/injured on Sunday, sustained a torn ACL, a team official said,” tweeted NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Matt Maiocco.

Kamara collapsed during a non-contact drill and had to be carted off the field. Medical tests later confirmed the knee injury, an ACL tear, would end his rookie campaign before the preseason even started.

Under NFL rules, placing an injured rookie, who sustained the injury during training camp, on waivers is standard procedural protocol. When no other team claimed him, Kamara officially reverted to San Francisco’s injured reserve list. This allows him to stay under contract and receive medical care.

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The setback is particularly heartbreaking given Kamara’s impressive college journey that saw him rack up a career total of 163 tackles and 25.5 sacks.

He spent four years at James Madison before following head coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana, where he became a key defensive force.

Once Kamara settled down in Bloomington, he absolutely dominated the college scene. He registered a nation-leading 68 quarterback pressures during his first season with the Hoosiers.

Kamara’s biggest moment of glory came on college football’s grandest stage. He balled out so hard that he was named the Defensive Player of the Game in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Looking at his accolades, some even wonder how Kamara went undrafted in the very first place. NFL scouts worried his 6-foot-1 frame and shorter arm length wouldn’t translate against massive pro tackles, forcing him to prove himself as an undrafted free agent.

Kamara has this explosive first-step quickness, and his signature move is where he would flip his speed into pure power to bull-rush offensive linemen. He was projected to be a great rotational edge rusher and a major weapon on special teams for the 49ers.

Losing Kamara leaves Kyle Shanahan with some pretty glaring headaches because the 49ers’ defensive line is already dealing with a major injury crisis.

Nick Bosa has been limited in training camp drills. And other backup defensive ends like Mykel Williams, Cam Sample, and Romello Height are all stuck on the sidelines with various injuries.

The team is running dangerously low on healthy bodies to rush the quarterback as the preseason games get closer.

The 49ers made the best of their situation

The 49ers’ front office had to make some quick business moves. They officially signed journeyman defensive end Titus Leo to take Kamara’s spot on the defensive line and added running back Khalil Herbert for extra depth.

While Leo has not started a single game and featured just four times for the Patriots in 2024, Herbert has made just one start since the Bears traded him to the Bengals in 2024.

However, it came at the price of releasing veteran cornerback Eli Apple.

For defensive linemen, returning from a reconstructed ACL typically takes nine to twelve months of intensive rehabilitation. However, the road back looks different for everyone. History offers some perspective on how that road can play out. Jaylon Smith is proof of that.

He tore his ACL and suffered severe nerve damage before he even got drafted, yet he clawed his way back to become a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Cowboys.

49ers fans may remember Tank Carradine from the 2013 season. The franchise’s second-round pick never quite got his pre-injury burst back after his own pre-draft ACL tear, but still ground out six solid years as a dependable rotational lineman.

Where Kamara lands on that spectrum remains to be seen, but for now, the focus is just on getting healthy.

Now on injured reserve, Kamara will utilize San Francisco’s medical staff throughout the year, targeting a full recovery in time for the 2027 offseason program.