2 young D-linemen give hope to 49ers they can navigate rash of injuries

The San Francisco 49ers continue to suffer from a rash of injuries at almost every key position.

The defensive line situation is starting to become an area of particular concern, however, as injuries to high-priced players mount up. The Niners already lost Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave for the season last week to a torn tricep, but their bad luck continued on Sunday against the New England Patriots as defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, who already avoided an injury during practice in the lead up to the game, left the game with what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

If you add that in to pre-existing injuries to the likes of D-linemen such as Drake Jackson and Kalia Davis, things do start to look a little thin, especially considering San Francisco's propensity for carrying a lot of depth on the defensive line.

Fortunately, two previously unheralded players stepped forward when it mattered in the Week 4 game and may have played well enough to win substantial roles moving forward.

Let's take a look at them.

Sam Okuayinonu

Sam Okuayinonu took advantage of the aforementioned injuries to Jackson and Davis in the preseason, as well as some intermittent play from Robert Beal, to push himself right to the fringes of the 53-man roster.

Okuayinonu actually made the initial roster before being added to the practice squad after some pre-Week 1 manoeuvring. He was then one of the team's chosen elevations to play against both the New York Jets and Los Angeles Rams, with the Rams game resulting in more significant snaps due to the attrition on the defensive line. That game also saw him record his first NFL sack, as well as two pressures and a quarterback hurry.

Following Hargrave's injury, Okuayinonue became a full-time member of the active roster, being officially signed there in the hours leading up to the win over the Pats.

Frankly, he was one of the biggest reasons for the defense improving. He used the momentum from his good start to the season to continue to impress against the hapless Patriots offensive line, remaining busy throughout the game.

While he didn't light up the stat sheet, he did make some impact plays and was often around the ball. He ended with a very useful stat line: parlaying high-motor, full effort play into a tackle for loss, quarterback hurry, and perhaps most crucially, a forced fumble on the Patriots' second drive.

Whether it be acquisitions like Arden Key and Charles Omenihu, or in-house draft pick developments like D.J. Jones, the 49ers have developed a seeming knack for extracting the most out of what have previously seemed like relatively limited linemen.

Okuayinonu, the former Maryland Terrapin originally signed by the Tennessee Titans in 2022, has made an incredibly promising push to be the next player to join that list.

Evan Anderson

This was possibly the bigger surprise of the two breakouts on Sunday, not least because Evan Anderson likely expected to play very limited snaps.

Anderson was an undrafted free-agent signing this year from Florida Atlantic, and he was expected to be a long-term project for venerated defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.

It seems that Kocurek was impressed, too, with the normally taciturn coach drawing comparisons between Anderson and Jones, who played solidly in the Bay Area for many years until signing a huge free-agent deal with the Denver Broncos.

Still, especially given the 49ers' multiple offseason moves at defensive tackle, Anderson likely didn't expect to see the field much, if at all, in 2024. While he was elevated to the roster for the game against the Patriots, it felt more like a depth move than anything. And at best, he might have seen mop-up snaps late in the game.

That changed when Elliott limped out of the game prior to halftime, and Anderson took his opportunity well.

For a rookie developing his skill and technique playing his first game on a few hours notice, Anderson was pleasingly competent. Like his position-mate, Okuayinonu, Anderson was active and around the play, showing a strong motor throughout. He was able to push the pocket several times and also recorded a pair of solid run stops, as well as being credited with a sack-fumble in the fourth quarter.

His play against the run will likely ensure he remains in the conversation to fill any roster and depth chart spots, but it will be his ability to pressure the quarterback that will have appealed most to the 49ers, particularly with Hargrave, who was ticketed for that role from the second he signed his contract with the team, out long term.

It remains to be seen how severe Elliott's injury is, and what the 49ers do to plug the role it may leave in their roster -- the aforementioned Jones is a staff favorite and continues to be linked with a return via trade -- but Anderson's strong performance in his first NFL game will not have done him any harm in getting into the coaching staff's thinking.

What do you think? Could these two unheralded youngsters turn out to be uncut gems at a time the Niners desperately need them?

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