49ers roster: 5 unresolved position battles left after minicamp
By Peter Panacy
49ers position battle No. 2: Defensive line
Once again, the 49ers’ strongest position this offseason is the defensive line, made more potent by the Round 2 drafting of former USC EDGE Drake Jackson.
Jackson might not be a top-end starter right out of the gate and opposite fellow pass-rusher Nick Bosa, but the rookie will carve out a role as a situational player early in his career, eliminating a roster spot for other supplementary pass-rushers like Jordan Willis, Charles Omenihu or Kemoko Turay.
And that’s just on the outside.
On the interior, the Niners cleared up the logjam a bit by letting nose tackle D.J. Jones walk in free agency, but an anticipated healthy return of third-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw will help alleviate that, as will another free-agent pickup, Hassan Ridgeway. Tack on another healthy body, Maurice Hurst, and it’s hard not to see why this unit is going to be a crowded and competitive one.
We didn’t even toss in other good-quality linemen such as Kerry Hyder Jr., Kevin Givens, Samson Ebukam and Arik Armstead.
The Niners are going to have to part ways with D-linemen who could easily wind up starting on other teams.
While that’s a tough choice, it at least speaks to the depth of talent San Francisco has here, and that should be exciting enough a position battle to watch.