49ers NFL Draft: 5 early needs for San Francisco in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Finding a Cheap Pass-Rusher for the 49ers Defensive Line
Most elite defenses boast two high-level pass-rushers, and the Niners currently have that situation in EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.
But one of the key ways to ensure this happens is to have at least one of those players on a rookie contract, which is the case with the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Bosa.
Ford, meanwhile, earned $15.9 million last season while playing in just 11 regular-season games and being on the field just over 22 percent of defensive snaps. And his 2021 cap hit is going to be as much as $17.6 million.
Albeit with zero in guaranteed money.
San Francisco, in an attempt to free up money to retain Bosa, George Kittle and others, could ultimately make the oft-injured Ford another cap casualty, meaning the Niners would have a need to land yet another quality edge rusher to complement Bosa.
Unlike the 2019 and 2020 draft classes, there aren’t too many top-quality pass-rushers available in the 2021 NFL Draft, meaning the 49ers could have some tough choices with regards to Ford and whether or not they should use one of their six picks to address his would-be absence.
Of course, this would be alleviated if the Niners get another solid year from another pass-rusher, Arik Armstead, who enjoyed a 10-sack campaign in 2019.