4 needs 49ers initially must address in 2022 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
49ers Need No. 3: Outside Pass-Rusher
It’s going to be great watching EDGEs Nick Bosa and Dee Ford back on the field together after they both played just one full game in 2020 before succumbing to serious season-ending injuries. And even without their combined presence during the preseason, San Francisco’s defensive line nevertheless looked dominant.
But with Bosa on track to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, along with Ford’s injury history, the sustainability of keeping both of these two remains in doubt.
Ford’s reworked deal keeps him through 2022, and it’s possible he winds up being a post-June 1 cap casualty. Even if he stays, the 49ers have to be thinking about finding a replacement edge rusher on a cheaper rookie deal to replace him, while Bosa winds up receiving quite the lucrative contract extension.
This year’s NFL Draft class of EDGEs was laden with all kinds of question marks, but there appear to be some safer bets in 2022:
- Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
- Zach Harrison, Ohio State
- Brenton Cox Jr., Florida
- Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma
- Kingsley Enagbare, South Carolina