4 Steelers players 49ers should worry about in Week 3
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: EDGE Bud Dupree
The right side of the 49ers offensive line, especially right guard Mike Person, has managed to hold up well enough in the pass-rush department so far in 2019.
San Francisco 49ers
But there’s a notable liability on the left side now, following left tackle Joe Staley‘s leg injury suffered late in Week 2. With Staley out six to eight weeks with a broken leg, rookie tackle Justin Skule now finds himself an unlikely blind-side starter protecting Garoppolo.
Skule, San Francisco’s sixth-round pick from this year’s draft, managed to handle his own in pass protection at Vanderbilt, although one shouldn’t consider his technique well-refined.
He’ll have his hands full with one of the Steelers’ top pass-rushers, though, EDGE Bud Dupree.
Dupree, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick from 2015, already has one sack on the season to go with the 20 additional ones he’s accumulated in his four-plus years at the NFL level.
The Steelers like to rush Dupree from the weak side of the formation, meaning Skule will be the primary blocker protecting Garoppolo’s backside.
Pro Football Focus has already credited Dupree with seven quarterback pressures, along with three quarterback hits. And while Garoppolo has fared well under pressure this season so far, a mere mistake or two from the quarterback could vastly alter the outcome of the game.
Again, the pressure is on Skule to deliver.
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The 49ers and Steelers kick off on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 4:25 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.