San Francisco 49ers: Reevaluating 6 team needs in the 2018 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Pass-Rusher
The 49ers have just three sacks over the first three games of 2017, ranking next to last in overall NFL standings.
That’s bad, especially for a team that invested so heavily in its defensive front seven the past three seasons.
The problem is San Francisco doesn’t have an elite-level pass-rusher capable of regularly pressuring the quarterback. A number of EDGE players, like Elvis Dumervil and Aaron Lynch, are decent. But top-tier pass-rushers are like quarterbacks in many ways — there’s a sharp drop off after the top-level ones.
The 2017 NFL Draft was deep with pass-rushers, but general manager John Lynch avoided selecting one until taking Pita Taumoepenu in Round 6. There were simply too many other needs elsewhere.
In the meantime, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh might have to scheme pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But it would be nice if the Niners landed a true pass-rusher to alleviate some of the pressure on the supporting defensive cast.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Lynch use a pick between Rounds 1 and 3 to address this need.