MELBOURNE, Australia — Just five years ago, the roads up the rolling hills and down the steep valleys of Western Pennsylvania would have taken you to Penn Hills High, where, every Friday night, Jaden Dugger would catch touchdown passes — including four in one playoff game — from his younger brother, Julian.The fans there never would have guessed Jaden would be making his NFL debut at linebacker halfway around the world on Thursday night (Friday morning local time) for the San Francisco 49ers. And while the brothers sensed back then that it was just the beginning, they will never forget those electric evenings.“Playing with your brother, that’s something a lot of people dream of doing,” Jaden said. “And then to win games, man, it was fun. It’s something I will cherish forever for sure.”“People in the community always told me there was nothing else like high school football, and I never believed them,” Julian said in a telephone interview. “Until I walked on the field. It was special, plus I had a different connection with my receiver than anybody else.”Julian, two years younger than 22-year-old Jaden and now a quarterback at Washington State, thought his brother was also a pretty good cornerback and safety. But now the much larger version will be lining up at linebacker against the Los Angeles Rams on national television.The vibe in Melbourne before the NFL's first game thereVic Tafur and Matt Barrows“It’s pretty surreal,” Julian said. “I am very proud of him. I am not going to say I don’t believe it, because I always had the utmost confidence in him. He loved defense, and he ended up putting on a lot of weight in college.”Many college and NFL scouts didn’t believe, as illustrated by Jaden Dugger’s long journey to Melbourne, where the 49ers are practicing this week ahead of their season-opening game. Now a 6-foot-5, 242-pound linebacker, Dugger began at Georgetown as a no-star recruit playing safety, transferred to Louisiana and transitioned to edge rusher and later inside linebacker, all while putting on 50 pounds.Dugger was not invited to the 2026 scouting combine, as NFL teams didn’t know where he would fit. That is, until the 49ers reached to draft Dugger — with his 35-inch arms and 84 3/8-inch wingspan — in the fifth round in April.Part of the reason was that Dugger reminded 49ers linebacker coach and former Seattle Seahawks star K.J. Wright — who measured 6-3 and 246 pounds with 35-inch arms at the 2011 combine — of someone.“We were in a draft meeting, and K.J. was talking with a lot of conviction on the young man, and I was like, ‘Wait a second …’” general manager John Lynch said after the draft. “‘K.J., you’re trying to draft yourself!’ And we threw up K.J.’s card when he was drafted, and they were very similar.”Dugger’s versatility and athleticism closed the deal, even if some of the college tape was a little rough at times.“We believe he can be a really fun player to work with and a really impactful player for our team,” Lynch said.Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will use Dugger as a “fever backer,” his term for someone who will cover tight ends, move around and occasionally rush the passer.Dugger got temperatures rising with a good training camp and a knack for making plays in the preseason, finishing with 10 tackles and two quarterback hits in the finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.There were also two wince-inducing missed tackles that night, just to underscore that this will be a process. There is no pipeline from the Sun Belt Conference to starting in the NFL.“I saw a guy out there that looked like he belonged, No. 1, first and foremost,” Morris said. “I saw a guy that showed great length. Saw a guy that showed great range and speed to be able to track and tackle.”Morris added that Dugger needs to get off blocks faster and to learn when to take a risk, when not to and “when he can absolutely let the trigger go.”But the rookie is learning every day, with Morris highlighting his communication. And yes, there has been some validation for Dugger the past few months.“I feel like my whole life, I was underrecruited,” Dugger said. “So, to be picked, kind of like cherished and wanted, it felt good to come in here like that. It was just a different feeling. I loved it, and I am going to do whatever they need me to do.“Raheem has been challenging me, and I feel I’ve gotten better with my technique and learning the scheme.”K.J. Wright on his "star" pupil, LB Jaden DuggerMatt BarrowsDugger was recruited by one college (Toledo) as a positionless athlete, but waiting for Penn State or Pittsburgh to make an offer that never came cost him the one he had in hand. He wound up joining Georgetown and started just four games in his first year at a school known for its basketball.It was there he learned that his 24-year-old brother, Dajuan, died in his sleep on Jan. 23, 2023. Dajuan was the oldest of the five siblings and the reason that Jaden and Julian played football.“He paved the way for us,” Jaden said. “We followed him every step, and when he got a scholarship (to Lock Haven University), we knew what was possible.”“He was the biggest inspiration in our family,” added Julian, who started playing football at age 5. “Neither of our parents played sports, nobody in our family really, and he inspired all of us.”Both brothers said they play the game for Dajuan. Jaden wore No. 3 — his brother’s number — in college and plans to do so with the 49ers once it’s available. (Receiver Christian Kirk is the current occupier; for now, Jaden is wearing No. 53.)No. 3 suited Jaden well as a safety, but he literally grew out of that position. He still had NFL aspirations when he transferred from Georgetown to Louisiana, even if most around him didn’t see it.Jaden Dugger (3) didn’t play inside linebacker until his final year at Louisiana in 2025. (Denny Medley / Imagn Images)“People were like, ‘C’mon, bro, you’re not going pro,’ and even my junior year wasn’t that great,” he said. “So I knew it was kind of a long shot, but I showed people my senior year that I was serious.”Dugger had 125 tackles — 13 for a loss — four sacks and an interception for the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2025, earning all-conference honors.His old high school coach, Jon LeDonne, was not as surprised as you would think to see Dugger become an NFL prospect.“When I first saw him, I thought we were going to put him at tight end, and he would be Jeremy Shockey,” DeLonne said in a telephone interview. “But he stayed at receiver and defensive back. He had the bigger frame, and you knew he was a great kid and was going to work hard.”Linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw had a similar impression. They took Dugger under their wing this summer, even before training camp started.“I just learned so much from them, just what they expect out of certain stuff, just certain techniques,” Dugger said.But that was not the biggest lesson.“(Their) approach to the game, that’s what’s the most important — being relentless, running to the ball all the time,” Dugger said. “If you watch film, you’re going to see those guys running to the ball all the time. That’s like the 49er way.“You’re taught that in college, but they don’t harp on it as much. But now … even if you’re 40 yards away, you go chase the ball.”Now, Dugger appears poised to be the 49ers’ third linebacker, which could mean plenty of work against the Rams and their multi-tight-end packages in the opener. Warner can’t wait to see the rookie in the regular season.“Dug has a skill set that’s rare,” Warner said. “The fact that he’s a true 6-5, long arms, can run like a deer. He’s not afraid of contact. He can play several different positions. His retention of information, playing with instinct. Those are all things that can get you really excited about a player.”Kind of like those fans at Penn Hills were five years ago.