The 49ers drafted edge rusher Robert Beal Jr. in large part of his ability to get off the ball quickly.

But the fifth-round rookie, whom the 49ers revealed after the draft led the class in their in-house metric that measures explosiveness off the snap, won't be making an impact for San Francisco for some time.

The Niners confirmed on Wednesday that Beal will start the season on short-term injured reserve after barely featuring during training camp because of injury.

Beal will be eligible to return after four games.

Speaking in a press conference, general manager John Lynch said of Beal:

"He’s coming off a hamstring that he re-injured. We thought the best thing for Robert, he’s a guy we really like and are excited to work for, but we’ve got to get that thing right. To qualify for the short term, he had to make our 53. He’s a guy who showed a lot and we’re thrilled about the prospect of working with him going forward, but we’ve got to get him back so that he’s ready."

Joining former Georgia defensive end Beal on short-term injured reserve is wide receiver Danny Gray, who has a shoulder injury. Fellow wideout and kick returner Ray-Ray McCloud (wrist) avoided IR, with head coach Kyle Shanahan saying he has an "outside chance" to play Week 1.

Sending Beal and Gray to IR allowed the 49ers to re-sign defensive lineman Kerry Hyder Jr. and edge rusher Austin Bryant. Both were released by the 49ers on Tuesday but will each feature in the defensive line rotation in 2023. What role Beal has to play in his rookie year remains to be seen.

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