3 49ers who could be named first-team All-Pros in 2020

No. 2: Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner

This isn’t too much of a stretch considering DeForest Buckner was named as a second-team member at interior defensive line in 2019, but there are reasons to believe Buckner could take the next step in 2020.

A quick look at Buckner’s stats from both 2018 and 2019 would suggest the former Oregon Duck had a down year last season.

To be sure, his total tackles went down (from 67 to 62), as did his sacks (12 to 7.5), but he forced twice as many fumbles (two in 2019) and recovered four last season as opposed to the one in 2018. But 2019 was still his first time being named an All-Pro on either team.

Some of the drops in numbers were due to his not being asked to do the same kind of things last season as opposed to his first few seasons in the league, where he was among the best, if not the best, players on the 49ers defense.

Instead, the sacks went to players like Nick Bosa, defensive lineman Arik Armstead and EDGE Dee Ford, but those guys were also instrumental in allowing Buckner to be a bigger force as a run stopper, while still forcing fumbles from the interior.

And like Bosa, Buckner was one of PFF’s top 101 players in 2019, grading out at an 81.4 overall on the year, finishing as the No. 82 player in the NFL.

The major reason for Buckner’s inclusion on this list is twofold. For one, Armstead’s future as a 49er is in question, which means that Buckner would likely be asked to help make up for the former’s 10-sack performance in 2019. For Buckner, it could be a sort of addition by subtraction.

The second reason is, if Buckner and the Niners don’t work out a long-term deal this offseason, he’ll be playing on his fifth-year option in 2020 just like Armstead was in 2019, and looking to cash in on a massive season heading into the 2021 offseason.

Those two elements could combine to create a very motivated Buckner, and an uptick in numbers could see him named as a first-team All-Pro for his work.