Revamping the defensive line should be one of the San Francisco 49ers’ highest offseason priorities.
Given that they need to upgrade starters and depth pieces at multiple positions, they’ll have to address the defensive front through both free agency and the draft.
Pro Football Focus offered an intriguing option for the 49ers in the free agent market. The football analytics site named San Francisco as the best offseason landing spot for former Dallas Cowboys third-round pick Osa Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa, a 26-year-old defensive tackle, would offer a quick replacement for DT Javon Hargrave who restructured his contract to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year opens March 14.
Via PFF:
Over the past two seasons, Osa Odighizuwa has established himself as a reliable interior pass-rusher, earning a 78.0 pass-rush grade in both campaigns. He’s totaled over 100 pressures and 10 sacks during that span, showcasing his consistent ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks.
One knock on Odighizuwa is that he’s not a great run stopper. And while finding better run stoppers up front is something that also has to be on the 49ers’ to-do list this offseason, fixing their pass rush is a greater priority. There aren’t many defensive tackles who were better at generating pressure than Odighizuwa last season.
His 15.1 percent pass rush win rate was tied for the 22nd-best mark in the NFL and would have easily ranked second on the 49ers behind defensive end Nick Bosa. The second-best pass rush win rate on San Francisco’s D-line last season belonged to DT Maliek Collins at 12.0 percent (66th-best in the NFL).
San Francisco has a ways to go to revamp a defensive line that struggled last season. Finding a player like Odighizuwa on something less than a top-of-market deal would be a really nice start.