Here is what 49ers rookie linebacker Chris Borland, a third-round pick from Wisconsin, doesn’t possess:

HEIGHT: Of the 99 linebackers who have been top-80 draft picks since 2005, Borland (5-11 ½, 248) is one of four under 6-0.

ARM LENGTH: Of the 166 linebackers who have attended the NFL combine since 2010, Borland has the second-shortest arms (29 ¼ inches). Only the Browns’ Brandon Magee (28 ¾), who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2012, has shorter levers.

SPEED: Of the 27 linebackers who ran at the combine, Borland’s 4.83-second 40-yard dash ranked 21st.

Given all that Borland isn’t, it’s remarkable what he is: 1) The reigning Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year; 2) The player with the second-most forced fumbles (15) in FBS history; 3) The only Wisconsin linebacker since 1951 to be named a first-team All-American.

Before the draft, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock raved about him:

“Borland is one of my two or three favorite players in this draft. The way I came on him was funny because I was getting ready to do a Notre Dame game. I was doing homework on BYU. The tape I happened to put in was Wisconsin. And I’m like, this (No.) 44 is everywhere.

“So I was kind of hooked on him early and every tape I’ve seen since then just reinforces to me that he could have the ability to be the (Buffalo LB) Kiko Alonso of this year’s group. I think he is probably going to go in the second round. I think he is going to start for whatever team takes him. And as long as he stays healthy, he is just going to keep making plays. The kid makes plays. He’s around the football all the time. I love watching him play football.”

After the draft, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke was similarly smitten:

“How can you not love him as a football player? Not tall enough. Not fast enough. Arms are too short. You hear all of that. We just love the makeup. We love the player. He’s everything you’re looking for from a DNA standpoint. He loves the game. He’s a smart football player. He’s an extremely instinctive football player. He’s overcome that lack of arm length. He’s overcome that lack of speed that is being talked about.

He’s just a baller.”

Of the 49ers’ 12 draft picks, Borland’s career could be the most intriguing to track.

Will the No. 77 overall pick be an undersized college star whose limitations are exposed in the NFL? One example: Florida State’s All-American inside linebacker Buster Davis (5-10), the No. 69 pick in 2007. Never heard of Davis? There’s a reason. He had 18 tackles and three starts in his two-year career.

Or will Borland join the linebackers he’s looked up to who reside in The Undersized Linebacker Hall of Fame: Sam Mills (5-9), London Fletcher (5-10) and Zach Thomas (5-11), a trio that collected 16 Pro Bowl berths and played 41 seasons.

Borland, who will compete to fill in while NaVorro Bowman is sidelined at the start of the season, is confident his formula for college success will carry over.

“There are some limitations,” he said. “Obviously, not the biggest guy in stature. Straight-line speed wasn’t my forte either. But I play very fast because I know the game. I take proper angles and know all my assignments.”

Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio knows from experience pint-sized linebackers can flourish after coaching Mills for 10 seasons with the Saints and USFL’s Philadelphia Stars. But the straight-shooting Fangio also knows not all sub-6-foot-linebackers morph into Mills.

“It’ll be interesting to see if (Borland’s) game translates to the NFL,” Fangio said to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King.

When that quote was relayed to him, Borland tackled it head-on.

“I think coach Fangio’s exactly right,” he said. “You have to prove yourself at the next level. Your college (career) doesn’t matter. It’s a brand new slate. I intend on proving my skills at this level.”