SANTA CLARA, Ca. — The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns currently have 10 former players on NFL rosters, and several are making their presence felt as the preseason comes to a close.
That includes San Francisco 49ers linebacker Jaden Dugger.
The 49ers selected Dugger in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the former Cajun has impressed the coaching staff with his versatility throughout training camp.
Dugger has earned reps with the first unit while being asked to learn multiple positions within San Francisco's defense.
It's a challenge he's familiar with after playing multiple roles during his time at Louisiana.
"When a coach asks you to do something like that, you know it can get very challenging, but I mean this is something I actually did in college, too, so I'm kind of used to it," Dugger said.
Dugger said learning multiple positions requires him to stay in his playbook and study each assignment, but he believes the biggest challenge has been learning the 49ers' defensive scheme.
"It's always tough to learn a whole different scheme," Dugger said. "That's the hardest part, I would say. Not really physically, nothing physically too hard, but just learning the scheme, trying to stay in my books, just learning multiple positions at one time."
Dugger and the 49ers will close the preseason Thursday, Aug. 27 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
San Francisco will then open the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, Sep. 10.
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