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SANTA CLARA — There was a lot of disappointment along the way, but it all worked out just fine for 49ers rookie defensive tackle Evan Anderson.
“Yeah, it shows me to just keep working,” Anderson told NBC Sports Bay Area. “It doesn’t matter where you start, just keep getting better and chasing toward greatness and something good is going to happen.”
The 49ers on Wednesday promoted Anderson, 22, from the practice squad to a spot on the 53-man roster. He fills the spot that was vacated when wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was placed on injured reserve.
It seems like a long time ago when Anderson decided to bypass his final season at Florida Atlantic to enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
As early as the third round, he remembers receiving a phone call from a team that expressed a desire to select him.
His excitement, however, continued to wane as pick after pick, round after round went by without hearing his name called.
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When asked if he was disappointed at the conclusion of the seven-round draft, Anderson answered, “Yes sir, it was very disappointing. I thought I would get drafted.”
In the pre-draft process, Anderson took official visits to meet with the 49ers, Dolphins, Bengals and Raiders. During the draft, he was receiving encouraging calls and texts from the Chargers, Patriots and Dolphins, he said.
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But he was left without a team after 257 players were drafted. Then, he had to make a decision on where to sign as a free agent.
“I took a pre-draft visit here, and I liked what coach Kris (Kocurek) was talking about, and the history of the franchise,” Anderson said. “I wanted to go to the 49ers.”
Although the 49ers released him before the start of the regular season, he was re-signed to the practice squad one day later.
Anderson was elevated from the practice squad for two games this season. He had a sack, forced fumble and two tackles in the 49ers’ victory over New England on Sept. 29. Two weeks ago, he had two more tackles against Seattle.
“I feel like I do what the coach tells me to do,” he said. “I’m focusing on getting better every day and slowing the game down. In this system, on this D-line, you got to be explosive and create separation.”
Anderson (6-foot-3, 326 pounds) has a chance to fill a valuable role in the 49ers’ defensive line rotation. Javon Hargrave is out for the season with a torn triceps. Yetur Gross-Matos is on injured reserve with a knee injury. And Kevin Givens has been bothered with a core muscle injury.
Anderson had a successful three-year career at Florida Atlantic, where he registered 145 tackles and seven sacks with 20 tackles for loss in 39 games.
He received a nice surprise this week with the news of his promotion.
“It was good,” he said. “It was exciting. I didn’t expect it. I just came to work and they told me.”
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