No. 5: Defensive End Damontre Moore
The 49ers defensive line is so deep heading towards the regular season, which has made the battles for the back end of this position group awfully intriguing this NFL preseason.
One player who has stood out this preseason has been veteran defensive end Damontre Moore, who has found himself bouncing around the league since joining the New York Giants in Round 3 of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Moore entered Saturday’s contest as the third highest-graded 49ers preseason defender, according to Pro Football Focus, owning an 82.0 overall grade. And his stock value only increased Saturday night, as he added a team-high five combined tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits.
For the second consecutive week, Damontre Moore (89.4 vs. KC) had the top overall grade on the #49ers defense. He is making it very difficult to leave him off the 53.
— Jeff Deeney (@PFF_Jeff) August 25, 2019
He now has eight quarterback hits on the year, which is impressive.
Moore could be in hotter competition with veteran Niners defensive end Ronald Blair, who didn’t suit up in Kansas City while dealing with a groin injury. While Blair was tied for second among San Francisco’s leaders in sacks a season ago with 5.5, he hasn’t made a huge rapport from himself during the preseason and training camp.
On the other hand, Moore has been a regular and impressive presence during this exhibition phase, and it wouldn’t be overly shocking to see him make the cut.