Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: 5 players who should see increased roles over rest of 2018

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Solomon Thomas #94 and Eli Harold #57 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after the Seattle Seahawks missed a field goal attempt at Levi's Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Solomon Thomas #94 and Eli Harold #57 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after the Seattle Seahawks missed a field goal attempt at Levi's Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 30: Kyle Postma #3 of the Houston Cougars runs the ball against Jullian Taylor #94 of the Temple Owls in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Houston Cougars defeated the Temple Owls 20-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Defensive Tackle Jullian Taylor

Rookie defensive tackle Jullian Taylor was one of the 49ers’ stars of the preseason this year. But that success didn’t exactly carry over into the regular season, as James has been active for just one of San Francisco’s six contests so far.

Taylor might not be as important an investment as Solomon Thomas — Taylor, like Richie James, was selected in Round 7 of this year’s draft, after all. But that doesn’t mean the former Temple Owl is a completely useless commodity either.

It would be more than worthwhile to make Taylor a regular part of the defensive line rotation from this point onward. He doesn’t have to be a starter, rather a plug-and-play option for depth.

Especially if the team is looking to move on from Arik Armstead, whose fully guaranteed fifth-year option kicks in at the start of the league new year.

Unless the Niners are totally committed to Armstead being a part of the team’s defensive plans beyond this season, putting Taylor into the mix would be beneficial. Sure, he’s raw and needs a lot more work than just fine-tuning some technique. But Taylor also has a violent skill set well displayed during the preseason.

Turn Taylor loose and see if that can translate over to going up against NFL starters. If not, San Francisco’s D-line depth is still good enough.