49ers’ linebacker Alexander ready to tackle tackling issue

Kwon Alexander gets credit for candor.

Last week, a reporter asked the 49ers’ just-signed inside linebacker if his new coaches had “talked to him about his tackling technique.”

This was a polite way of referencing Alexander’s penchant for missed tackles during his four-year NFL career. Alexander understood the underlying meaning of the question and defended himself, but only to a point.

“I run to the ball,” Alexander said. “I get to the ball. I’m around the ball a lot. I don’t stop. I like to hit and make the ball come out. And so some of those times I overrun the ball, (and) I have to get better at those.”

There are clearly some questions surrounding Alexander, 24, beyond his ability to recover from the torn ACL he sustained in October. However, the 49ers signed him to a four-year, $54 million contract that will pay him $14.25 million guaranteed in 2019 because, well, he’s right: He does get to the ball a lot — and he possesses admirable personal qualities beyond candor.

Alexander, 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, has the speed and coverage ability teams have increasingly come to seek at his position in a pass-first league. And his drive and passion are a reason the two-time Buccaneers captain first earned the honor in 2017 when he was 23.

Last month, Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht termed Alexander the “heartbeat” of the Buccaneers defense. Last week, 49ers general manager John Lynch said Alexander “plays with his hair on fire,” which drew laughs because Alexander, seated next to Lynch, was sporting dyed-red hair.

Said Lynch: “I believe certain players bring out the best in their teammates with the way they play.”

Alexander doesn’t play like your father’s inside linebacker. He’s two pounds heavier than quarterback Jimmy...