Niner Noise
FanSided

5 reasons to be excited about the 49ers in 2019

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 24: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after a one-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 24: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jimmy Garoppolo #10 after a one-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner #99 and defensive end Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers react after a defensive stop during the second half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 01: Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner #99 and defensive end Arik Armstead #91 of the San Francisco 49ers react after a defensive stop during the second half of the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No. 5: A Stacked 49ers Defensive Line

Nick Bosa and Dee Ford are only two parts of what’s looking to be one of the deepest and most talented defensive lines in the NFL this season.

Bosa was arguably the top prospect in this year’s NFL Draft, so the 49ers getting him second overall has to be viewed as a steal. As far as plug-and-play starters go, Bosa is it. And he’s not just a third-down pass-rusher, either.

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Ford, meanwhile, is coming off a 13.0-sack season in which he led the entire league in forced fumbles (seven). While those were career-high marks, the 28 year old is only hitting the prime of his career. Performing his craft next to first-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who also set a career high with 12.0 sacks in 2018, should only improve matters.

Speaking of Buckner, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah touted Buckner as one of the league’s most underrated players entering this season.

Buckner likely won’t go as unnoticed in 2019, especially with offensive lines being forced to “pick their poison” blocking these three first-round draftees on a regular basis.

Rounding out the cast are two other first rounders, defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas. As star-power candidates, they might be not. As key role players, though, a defensive line could do much, much worse.

Last season, Football Outsiders ranked San Francisco’s D-line 19th and 18th against the run and pass, respectively, with just 37 total sacks — tied for 22nd in the league.

Expect those numbers and rankings to get much better this season.