Evan Anderson Front Flips Into NFL as 49ers UDFA Celebrates NFL Signing in Ecstatic Fashion

More happy news comes in for the San Francisco 49ers side of the NFL. The team recently signed 320lbs defensive tackle, Evan Anderson out of Florida Atlantic Owls. His signing might have come as a surprise because the new DT just got hyped and celebrated with a back flip and quickly went viral.

Initially, a 49ers fan page shared the news on X with a video captioned, “Evan Anderson’s reaction to being signed as an undrafted free agent by the #49ers is priceless 😂😂,” and later, the famous football journalist David Lombardi picked it up and took to X.

Lombardi shared OurSF49ers post on X and captioned it, “320-pound DT Evan Anderson executes a nice front flip to celebrate his signing with the 49ers. They have 2 roster spots left.” People around Anderson cheered for him as he flipped into the pool. To celebrate the occasion, Anderson also popped open a bottle of champagne.

However, it seems like the Niners’ decision on Anderson was not on a whim. They had visits planned with Oregon’s DL Brandon Dorlus and West Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland.

This Undrafted Free Agent signing came after the NFL Draft was over, and some players were still left to be signed. The 49ers reportedly signed 5 other players as UDFA. Cody Schrader, the RB from Missouri, Drake Nugent (C) from Michigan, and Mason Pline (TE) from Furman. Others include Tanner Mordecai, a QB from Wisconsin, and Terique Owens, a receiver from Missouri State.

“There’s still good players out there,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters Friday. “That’s our job to go find them. I do think there’s probably not the quantity that there typically is in a draft, it probably runs out of some gas. But our challenge is to find who those guys are and find the guys who have an opportunity to help make our team better.”

As mentioned earlier, Anderson’s signing was not something whimsical, and he could potentially be one of the top linemen in the league.

What makes Evan Anderson a 49ers prospect?

In the 2023 season, the DT had 22 solo tackles, 1 pass defended, and 3.5 sacks, which is his career-high. This was probably his best season in Florida and the stats explain why he was chosen for the draft. Per Pro Football Focus, Anderson registered 20 run stops in the last season and was positioned 16 among FBS interior defensive linemen in this year’s draft.

Another nose tackle that the Niners signed was in the off-season. Jordan Elliott, who played with the Browns in the last season produced 14 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks in the 2023 season. With the new revamped trenches, the Niners are hoping to avoid a couple of mistakes that caused them to lose the Super Bowl.