San Francisco 49ers: Strengths, weaknesses and X-factors for each position
By Peter Panacy
Defensive Line
Arguably the 49ers’ biggest strength heading into 2019, general manager John Lynch and Co. spent even more effort reinforcing this group during the offseason, namely making a trade for former Kansas City Chiefs EDGE Dee Ford and bringing aboard Ohio State EDGE Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Ford and Bosa, both first-round draftees, join a Niners defensive line already comprised of three other first rounders: DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead.
Needless to say, San Francisco’s pass rush this season should be vastly better than the 37 sacks it enjoyed a year ago.
Strengths
Buckner and Ford are both coming off Pro Bowl campaigns in 2018. Pairing them, especially on the weak side, should make both players’ pass-rushing prowess all the more potent. And while Armstead never truly developed into an elite pass-rusher, he’s one of San Francisco’s best run stoppers. That’s valuable in a run-heavy NFC West.
Depth is key, too, with the Ford and Bosa additions pushing decent-level talent down the depth chart. Rotational pieces are always needed along the D-line, and the Niners have plenty of options there.
Weaknesses
It’s going to be interesting seeing how the 49ers deploy Thomas, who has yet to live up to his No. 3 overall draft billing from 2017. He might end up being a rotational players, which is fine, but that still calls for above-average production.
So far, he’s been little better than average.
If that’s the only notable weakness, though, San Francisco’s D-line is in pretty good shape.
X-Factors
As was the case with the linebackers, the 49ers’ wide-9 switch could have a serious impact on this unit’s production. All it does is bump the strong-side edge (likely Bosa) to the outside shoulder of the tight end.
But it also opens up the interior, creating more opportunities for those inside rushes.
A year ago, the Niners allowed just 4.1 rush yards per attempt — good for seventh best in the league. The best of both worlds would mean San Francisco getting better pass-rush production and keeping opposing rushing totals relatively low.