Niner Noise
FanSided

How a Switch to a 4-3 Defense Shakes Up the 49ers 2017 NFL Draft Plans

By Peter Panacy

November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aaron Lynch (59) congratulates defensive end Arik Armstead (91) for sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aaron Lynch (59) congratulates defensive end Arik Armstead (91) for sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Brandon Scherff (Iowa) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number fifth overall pick to the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Brandon Scherff (Iowa) poses for a photo with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number fifth overall pick to the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

The San Francisco 49ers are widely expected to shift to a 4-3 base defense under presumed defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in 2017. So how does this change things for the Niners in the 2017 NFL Draft?

ESPN’s Adam Caplan reported the San Francisco 49ers are set to bring aboard former Jacksonville Jaguars linebackers coach Robert Saleh as defensive coordinator in 2017.

Saleh, who worked previously under defensive coordinator/former head coach Gus Bradley both in Jacksonville and with the Seattle Seahawks, is expected to switch San Francisco’s base defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3.

The Niners have used a 3-4 dating back to 2007, although the scheme hasn’t worked all too well since former defensive end Justin Smith retired in advance of the 2015 season.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

And yet former general manager Trent Baalke continued to build a roster aimed at a 3-4.

Baalke is gone now, and John Lynch has taken his place.

With a 4-3 now in the making, how will Lynch go about building this group through the upcoming NFL Draft in late April?

To start, Lynch will have to know what pieces are already in place.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee did an excellent job connecting the dots between what the Niners want to do and what Saleh understood in Seattle. You should give it a read, since it’s exceptionally informative.

The bad news is San Francisco doesn’t have ideal pieces for either scheme, which points back at the draft.

Let’s take a look at how switching to a 4-3 defensive changes things when the 49ers are called to make their picks this April.