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The 49ers’ playoff chances will hinge on EDGE play in 2018

By Bobby Horne

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 25: Bradley Chubb #9 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack leaves the field with a piece of the Kenan Stadium hedges between his teeth following a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels on November 25, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina State won 28-21. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 25: Bradley Chubb #9 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack leaves the field with a piece of the Kenan Stadium hedges between his teeth following a win against the North Carolina Tar Heels on November 25, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina State won 28-21. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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If the San Francisco 49ers want to continue their momentum from 2017, then getting better at the EDGE position is just what they will need in order to turn that momentum into a serious playoff run.

In this day and age in the NFL, there are two positions that are on another level beyond the rest in importance: quarterback and the EDGE position.

The San Francisco 49ers have one of these positions locked down, in the way of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. But if the 49ers want to make a serious playoff run in 2018, they must address the latter.

Over the last few years, the NFL has become more and more of a passing league.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

Players are bigger, faster and stronger than they have ever been, and it’s creating a “big play” product on the field. In doing so, it has raised the importance of getting to the quarterback more so than any other position on the field. It has become the cornerstone of a defense.

If a defense has an edge rusher consistently getting to the quarterback, and cut down on the “snap to throw” time, it makes the other 10 positions on defense easier to play.

Cornerbacks are having to cover a shorter amount of field, linebackers don’t have as much ground to cover and can react quicker and safeties are able to keep everything in front of them.

Out of the top five sack leaders in 2017, three of them were on playoff teams.

Put that all together, and you can see the importance of an edge rusher. This is why the 49ers must make the position their top priority this offseason, in the NFL Draft and into training camp.

With the draft just days away, many believe they should draft a top edge-rushing talent with the ninth overall selection.

I am one of those people who would agree with that logic.

With the talented 2018 quarterback class, and the teams ahead of the 49ers that are so desperate to take them, it leaves San Francisco in a great position where landing a top edge-rushing talent is possible.

Players like North Carolina State’s Bradley Chubb and Boston College’s Harold Landry can be just what the 49ers need to make a playoff run in 2018.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 04: Boston College defensive lineman Harold Landry (DL39) runs thru a drill during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 4, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 04: Boston College defensive lineman Harold Landry (DL39) runs thru a drill during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 4, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

If landing a top edge rusher in Thursday night’s NFL Draft eludes the 49ers, they will want to look in house for an immediate impact.

NBC Sports Bay Area and 49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco has a good piece on the 49ers in-house edge rushers and gives insight on the top draft prospects listed above, which can be found here.

The 49ers also added former Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Jeremiah Attaochu in free agency, giving them more options at the position and a chance to create some competition.

In 2017 the Niners defense finished with 30 sacks, ranking them near the bottom of the league. Six of the top 10 teams in sacks made the playoffs. This is something that just has to get better if the 49ers want to be serious contenders.

Whether the Niners decide to pull the trigger in the NFL Draft for a top edge-rushing talent or decide to stick with their in-house players and draft elsewhere, the edge position must be a priority for the foreseeable future.

Next: Re-signing safety Eric Reid is the right move for the 49ers

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch came to San Francisco to build a championship caliber football team. They hit it out of the park with Garoppolo and now must do the same thing with an elite edge rusher if they want to achieve their goal.