The 49ers desperately need a defensive tackle and could probably use another edge rusher
The San Francisco 49ers’ streak of three consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances may have ended, but their most impressive streak continues: this offseason marks the 17th consecutive offseason the 49ers have needed pass rush help (don’t fact-check that).
John Lynch has used the last two offseasons to make big swings with the signings of Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd, but San Francisco has still had the same consistency issues that have plagued them since 2019. Floyd and Nick Bosa combined for 17.5 sacks in 2024 – the same amount as Bosa and Hargrave combined for in 2023 but still less than the 18.5 Bosa had by himself in 2022 – but Hargrave struggled in his three games before a triceps injury ended his season.
The Bosa/Floyd tandem had a solid first season, but for this San Francisco pass rush to return to its 2019 form, they’ll need more than just a duo. With Robert Saleh returning, now would be the ideal time to address the depth. In 2019, the 49ers top two sack-getters (Arik Armstead and Bosa) combined for 19 sacks. Behind them were DeForest Buckner (7.5) and Dee Ford (6.5), who combined for 14.
Behind Bosa and Floyd’s 17.5 sacks in 2024 were Maliek Collins (5.0) and Yetur Gross-Matos (4.0) combining for nine, making 26.5 sacks between the 49ers top-four sack-getters, a far cry from the 33 combined in 2019 but a slight improvement of the 26 in 2023.
The difference between 2023 and 2024, however, is the 49ers finish with 48 sacks – matching 2021 and 2019 for the most sacks in the Shanahan era (maybe something about odd-numbered seasons?) – because while the top-four sack-getters in 2023 might not have had as many sacks as in 2024, 16 players combined for at least half of a sack in 2023, the second-most of any season in the Shanahan era. In 2024, only nine players combined for a sack, the fewest under Shanahan.
So, how can the 49ers use this offseason to address that depth? The easiest option would be to use the No. 11 pick to invest in the pass rush. The Niners have tried the free agency or trade route plenty of times, starting with Dee Ford in 2019, but with varying levels of success. The list of defensive linemen added since Ford is extensive:
- Kerry Hyder (16 games as a 49er)
- Samson Ebukam (32 games)
- Charles Omenihu (26 games)
- Jordan Willis (26 games)
- Arden Key (17 games)
- Hassan Ridgeway (12 games)
- Kerry Hyder… again (20 games this stint)
- Kemoko Turay (3 games)
- Javon Hargrave (19 games)
- Clelin Ferrell (17 games)
- Randy Gregory (12 games)
- Chase Young (nine games)
- Jordan Elliott (15 games)
- Leonard Floyd (17 games)
- Yatur Gross-Matos (11 games)
Some players like Omenihu and Key played themselves out of a contract San Francisco could afford, and others like Willis found ways to be productive in ways other than the pass rush. However, this list has a fair share of misses, so it may be best for San Francisco to search for that impact player in this free-agency class.
Instead, maybe look south for how the Los Angeles Rams have rebuilt their defensive line. The Rams have used two of their top-three picks to draft players to get after the quarterback. In 2023, Los Angeles used their third-round picks on Byron Young and Kobie Turner and were rewarded with 17 combined sacks from the then-rookies.
They followed that draft by using their first two picks in 2024 on Jared Verse and Braden Fiske out of Florida State, who combined for 13 sacks. Add Turner and Young, and the four pass rushers combined for 21.5 sacks, not quite what San Francisco’s top-four did in 2024, but enough to give plenty of excitement for the future of the Rams.
The 49ers have taken a couple of swings in the draft to improve their defensive line – including using the 14th pick in 2020 on Javon Kinlaw and the 61st pick in 2022 on Drake Jackson – but none have stuck. San Francisco could have some solid options at 11, like James Pearce out of Tennessee or Mason Graham out of Michigan, to bolster the defensive line. Or they could give flashbacks to 2022 and trade up near the top of the draft to get Abdul Carter out of Penn State.
Either way, it’s time for San Francisco to make a big swing and try to add an impact player that can be paired with Bosa for at least the next few years. It would be great for the 49ers to enter an offseason without a glaring need on the defensive line.