49ers Sign Pittsburgh Maulers LB after Standout Season

Pittsburgh Maulers linebacker Kyahva Tezino is getting an NFL contract after his standout season in the USFL. Tezino is signing with the San Francisco 49ers, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

The 6-foot, 235-pound San Diego State alum was a stalwart playing next to Reuben Foster in the middle of the Maulers’ 2023 defense. Tezino ranked second in tackles and tackles for loss that included 13 tackles in the Maulers appearance in the 2023 USFL Championship Game.

He first found his way onto NFL radars with a strong junior season with the Aztecs in 2018, when he recorded an absurd 127 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He followed that up with 99 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions in 2019, getting him an NFL shot with the New England Patriots.

The Steelers brought Tezino for a tryout way back in 2020, after he had been with the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers in his rookie season. Since then, he spent one season in The Spring League and two with the Maulers. He posted 86 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 2022 before adding 93 tackles in 2023. He also had two interceptions.

Now with the 49ers, Tezion will have a great opportunity to make a push for a roster spot in a talented room that includes Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner.