49ers FB Kyle Juszczyk can see NFL moving towards non-contact practices

Kyle Juszczyk had embarked on his NFL career a few years before the Ivy League, in which he played while at Harvard, decided to ban contact in practices.

The move was done as a safety measure to help reduce head trauma suffered by players. With training camps opening around the league, it is something Juszczyk can see becoming a part of the way he and others prepare for games at the professional level.

‘Kyle Shanahan doesn’t put us in pads a ton’

Entering his sixth NFL season, Juszczyk is well aware of the benefits being recognized by the Ivy League’s policy. It came to light last year, his first with the San Francisco 49ers after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

“I definitely think that’s something you could see the NFL moving towards,” Juszczyk said during a recent appearance on Late Hits with Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt. “I think you saw in the last CBA, really cutting down on the contact. I know (coach) Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, he doesn’t put us in pads a ton. It’s way less than what I had done in Baltimore.

‘I think that you can still be very effective without pads’

“And I think there’s a skill to being able to practice without pads and still getting good work. And I think that you can still be very effective without pads, as long as the players know how to work with each other and they understand that you have to take care of each other but also give each other good work.”