49ers depth chart: Power ranking top 10 players entering 2020

49ers Defensive End Arik Armstead

Talk about major improvements.

Defensive end Arik Armstead went from being an apparent underwhelming first-round selection to one of the league’s premier pass-rushers. His team-leading 10 sacks in 2019 cannot go ignored, and while he may not be the team’s best defensive linemen, he is an integral part of this defensive juggernaut and is one of the main reasons the team made it to the Super Bowl in 2019.

He may be a late bloomer, but it doesn’t negate the fact he’s now among the league’s most effective pass-rushers. A lot of fans are eager to see if Armstead can replicate his 2019 efforts, but if he can, there’s no denying the 49ers will be a force to be reckoned with yet again.

Armstead earned an 89.8 Pro Football Focus grade in 2019, which is nothing to scoff at. It displays just how strong the 49ers’ defensive front will be yet again. Armstead would not be an easy asset to replace on the defensive front and is definitely one of the team’s best defenders and overall players (which of course the franchise agrees with since they just signed him to a lucrative five-year extension this past offseason).

Armstead will surely look to justify his hefty extension in 2020 and will surely be an integral part of the team’s comeback efforts.