SF 49ers: 9 young players who should shine in 2021

SF 49ers DLs Nick Bosa and Javon Kinlaw

Another set of obvious players, but that’ll be it for the players you expect to perform well. The highest picks in each of the SF 49ers’ last two drafts, Javon Kinlaw and Nick Bosa came into the defensive line with very different expectations, had very different experiences, and head into 2021 in very different situations.

Bosa was supposed to be the missing link for a defense that had been looking for edge pressure to supplement and enhance the quality interior pressure given by now-Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and, at times, defensive end Arik Armstead. He was joined by EDGE Dee Ford through trade to complete the SF 49ers defense. And Bosa did just that. He was the most talented player on that defensive line, the player that made the engine run. His expectation was sky-high, and he delivered.

Kinlaw, on the other hand, was tabbed as a replacement for the aforementioned Buckner, who had quietly played like a top-five lineman for the last two or three years. He wasn’t supposed to be a missing link or be a messiah for a struggling defense, rather he was supposed to partially replace the production of a franchise stalwart and not be a liability.

Well, injuries took that out of the question, and Kinlaw found himself in a worse position than expected.

Without the quality edge pressure (though Kerry Hyder Jr. and the rest of the rag-tag team of edge defenders did a phenomenal job given expectations), Kinlaw became the second-best pass-rusher on many downs and received more attention. He slowly has developed as the season progressed, but he is still very raw and very laden with potential.

For Kinlaw, a star rise in 2021 is predicted upon two very bankable factors. The first is the return of edge pressure. The collapsing of the pocket because of an All-Pro talent like Bosa creates substantially more opportunities for the interior players to benefit and take advantage.

Additionally, more plays and pressures made by Kinlaw are finished off by the edge rather than resulting in an extension of the play and eventual positive yardage for the offenses. For the SF 49ers, having edge pressure will make Kinlaw’s day much easier and allow him to get more stats and have more of a quantifiable impact than what is seen currently.

Secondly, Kinlaw’s own developmental arc. Though it’s impossible to guarantee future success, the “rise” of Kinlaw throughout the year has been a good indication of him making use of his potential, albeit slowly. He has begun to understand rushing more, and though he still is raw and unrefined with his moves at times, his pure strength, untamed and poorly harnessed, has been good enough to create pressure opportunities. An easier time plus a full offseason to build upon his incredible raw skills? That screams second-year breakout to me, and I feel Kinlaw will find himself finishing more of his plays next year.

As for Bosa, 2021 hinges on one simple fact: health.

When fully healthy, Bosa was a top-five edge rusher in the league, which sounds absurd given that he’s only a second-year player yet is probably not much of an exaggeration. A torn ACL is not indicative of a larger injury issue, especially one as fluky as his, though Bosa has dealt with injuries of various levels of severity throughout his playing career, including a torn ACL in his other leg in high school and a core injury that kept him out of his final season of college. There’s no way of knowing how he looks when he comes back, and a 100-percent recovery isn’t a given.

However, even a 90-percent Bosa is one of the best EDGEs in the game, and as long as his health holds, he’ll be dominating teams easily.