San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu’s fit with the defense
By Peter Panacy
he San Francisco 49ers brought aboard former Los Angeles Chargers EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu in the second wave of NFL free agency. How can he help fill a vacant LEO void in 2018?
An edge rusher was one of the prime needs the San Francisco 49ers had entering 2018. Especially after the defense finished last year tied for 26th with just 30 sacks.
Top-name EDGEs Ezekiel Ansah and Demarcus Lawrence were both franchise tagged by the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, respectively, leaving few options for quality pass-rushers on the free-agent market.
As Plan B, the Niners brought aboard former Los Angeles Chargers EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu on a one-year deal.
The #49ers signed former #Chargers LB Jeremiah Attaochu to a 1-year deal worth up to $5.125M, source said. He gets $2.5M fully guaranteed. Played in 4 games last year, but had 6 sacks in 2015.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2018
It’s a “prove it” deal for Attaochu, a former Georgia Tech prospect taken by the Chargers in Round 2 of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Injuries and poor scheme fit prevented Attaochu from reaching his peak. Since breaking into the league, he’s managed to see just 38 games, playing in four of them last season. But he did record six sacks back in 2015, and the 25 year old has yet to reach the prime of his career:
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/16/2018.
The Chargers utilized a 3-4 defense over his first three years at the pro level. Under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley in 2017, they switched to a 4-3 base — more akin to Attaochu’s skill set. But Attaochu was then buried under starting edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, making him something of an excess commodity.
Still, Attaochu’s 2015 campaign is nothing to scoff at. Per Pro Football Focus, he earned a respectable 77.0 overall grade that year. And his PFF pass-rush productivity rating that year was 9.9 — higher than other second-level pass-rushers like Trent Murphy, Alex Okafor, Brian Orakpo and Jadeveon Clowney.
That’s what the 49ers are hoping to get.
Jeremiah Attaochu’s Fit with the 49ers Defense
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh prefers shorter, speedier edge rushers to handle his right defensive end duties. The LEO position, as it’s so called.
At 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, Attaochu seems to fit the mold.
And judging by the below video (h/t Better Rivals’ Oscar Aparicio), Attaochu (No. 97) brings plenty of speed to the table:
“Jeremiah has been quite disruptive during his career despite his limited opportunities playing behind some top tier defensive ends,” noted general manager John Lynch, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “He is a wonderful fit for our scheme and our locker room.”
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Perhaps.
On the upside, Attaochu might be one of those players who simply never thrived in the first situation where he was placed. That’s what San Francisco is thinking. And considering his age, there’s still a lot of room for growth and development.
At the same time, there are reasons the former second rounder never truly flourished with San Diego/L.A. This certainly hurt his free-agent value, and the Niners took advantage of that.
Attaochu isn’t a lock to make the 53-man roster out of training camp. The 49ers would still be wise to add another pass-rusher, or two, via the NFL Draft this April, which would provide both competition and long-term solutions for this pressing area of need.
If Attaochu winds up impressing this season, great. If not, it wasn’t a big risk.
Next: FanSided's 2018 NFL free agency tracker
Let’s hope the former happens.