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San Francisco 49ers: Expectations for the 5 Best Players in 2016 Season

By Peter Panacy

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August 23, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (69) rushes Dallas Cowboys tackle John Wetzel (61) during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
August 23, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (69) rushes Dallas Cowboys tackle John Wetzel (61) during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive End Arik Armstead

2015 PFF Grades:

  • Overall: plus-15.1
  • Run Defense: plus-6.4
  • Pass Rush: plus-8.3
  • Pass Coverage: 0.0

San Francisco’s first-round investment from 2015 came on strong towards the latter half of the season, despite being touted as a raw and underdeveloped prospect with a big upside.

Defensive end Arik Armstead may be even more of a force this season, especially after being paired with his former University of Oregon teammate DeForest Buckner — another first-round DE the Niners took the subsequent year.

This should give you a good idea what the 6’7″, 296-pound force is capable of doing:

Armstead likely won’t be a natural pass-rusher or someone who can regularly take down opposing quarterbacks, although he did register 30 quarterback hurries last season, per PFF.

Instead, Armstead is a pocket-wrecking force. It will be his job to lock up offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage, throw off protection schemes and open up lanes for San Francisco’s crop of pass-rushers to converge.

Now, with Buckner in the mix, Armstead could see an even stronger season as one of the more prolific players on the Niners defense.

Next: OT Joe Staley