Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Identifying the 5 best players in 2017 so far

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers takes the field prior to their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 22: Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers takes the field prior to their NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled after a short gain by DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 29: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled after a short gain by DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first half during their game at Lincoln Financial Field on October 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Defensive Tackle DeForest Buckner

With little doubt, second-year defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has been the 49ers’ best-impact player over the course of the season.

Buckner hasn’t missed a game all year, despite a rash of defensive line injuries, and has seen the field a whopping 600 snaps — the most out of any interior lineman, according to Pro Football Focus.

Granted, Buckner’s stat line doesn’t exactly jump off the page. Through 10 games, he’s managed 34 tackles (fourth most on the team) but only 1.5 sacks. And it doesn’t look like he’s on pace to surpass the six sacks he had his rookie season.

More from Niner Noise

But those numbers don’t tell the entire story.

Buckner owns a 90.6 overall PFF grade, which ranks third out of all qualifying interior defenders. That’s ahead of guys like Miami Dolphins’ Ndamukong Suh or Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Bennett.

One can only think what Buckner’s pass-rushing standard-stat numbers would be if the Niners had an edge pass rush.

Next: Identifying 10 cornerstone 49ers for the 2018 season

Still, Buckner is proving to be a pocket-wrecking force, which makes him our top choice for the best player San Francisco has through 10 weeks.