Niner Noise
FanSided

Power ranking the 49ers top 10 players entering 2019

By James Jones

George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 10
Next
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 01: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 1, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 01: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 1, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

No. 2: DeForest Buckner

Truth be told, deciding between the first and second spots on this list was more difficult than I originally envisioned. Interior defensive lineman, DeForest Buckner had a breakout season in 2018 on an underachieving defense.

With 12 sacks in 2018, Buckner staked his claim as not only the 49ers’ best defender, but one of the best in the entire NFL. Not to mention, he finished the season with 67 total tackles and 20 quarterback hits.

The year before that he led the league in quarterback hits from an interior defensive lineman. Last season saw him turn that corner and begin to register the sacks he missed on in 2017.

This season, Buckner has the chance to put himself into the upper echelon of interior lineman than he ever has before. With the additions of Ford and Bosa, along with returning players like Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, this 49ers front seven could be one of their best ever.

Look for Buckner to stay close to this ranking throughout the season.