49ers sign UDFA TE to $275,000 contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Not long after the end of the 2026 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers handed out one of the biggest undrafted free agent contracts.
They dished out $275,000 to make sure Khalil Dinkins would sign with them.
The news about the Penn State tight end was reported shortly after the draft ended on Saturday:
Dinkins is a 6-foot-4, 251-pound tight end from the Nittany Lions.
He had his best receiving numbers in 2025 with 14 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds, vertical jumped 32.5 inches and had a broad jump of 9 feet, 11 inches.
None of those numbers jump off the page, but clearly the 49ers like how his skillset could potentially work in their system down the road.
The 49ers still have George Kittle, Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell, all of whom seem likely to retain roles in the season ahead (although injuries have come for them at TE in the past).
Dinkins does have great potential role models here, so it's not a bad spot to be if you want to learn how to be a better tight end.
If he hopes to contribute on the field, though, he's going to have to wait his turn.
More NFL Draft news:
• We know who Mr. Irrelevant is
• Why Diego Pavia didn't get drafted
• Inside Garrett Nussmeier's crazy slide
• Eli Heidenreich was the draft's perfect pick
