49ers free agency: 5 still-available players Niners can target
By Peter Panacy
49ers Free-Agent Target No. 4: EDGE Adrian Clayborn
There was a time when the former first-round NFL Draft pick, EDGE Adrian Clayborn, was on the ascent to become one of the more exciting pass-rushers in the league.
That time has passed, though, and the 32-year-old Clayborn has been relegated to a supplementary pass-rusher who hasn’t come close to sniffing double-digit sacks since his 2017 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons.
Yet there are a few reasons why the 49ers going after a player like Clayborn makes sense.
For starters, Clayborn experienced some of his best success in the Falcons’ 4-3 scheme under former head coach Dan Quinn, who brought in that Seahawks-like defense similar to the Niners’ own. In 2017, Clayborn reached a career-best 9.5 sacks.
On top of that, San Francisco still has pass-rushing depth concerns entering 2021. While EDGE Nick Bosa is expected back after tearing his ACL last year, fellow EDGE Dee Ford remains out indefinitely with a back injury. The 49ers are also poised to lose defensive end Kerry Hyder and already said goodbye to defensive end Ronald Blair, too.
True, the Niners inked Samson Ebukam. But Ebukam is more of a standup speed rusher, not someone who can double as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, which is Clayborn’s make.
Regardless, when a team thinks it has enough pass-rushers, adding another is never a bad idea.