Pass Rushing Specialist

First off I would like to say that I am extremely happy we are heading to the Super Bowl and the way our team fought adversity yesterday of being down 17 in the first half and the way our defense stepped up in the second half and don't want to take anything from the team, however there is always room for improvement. It seems to me that our pass rush hasn't been the same late in the year and I honestly just think it is because of Aldon, Cowboy, McDonald, and Brooks being on the field all the time, they are all terrific players and play extremely hard but I just think they are getting wore down. I think we need to try and draft a pass rushing specialist in rounds 2-3 area that all they do is come in on 3rd down and go get the quarterback, kinda take over Aldon's role from his rookie year, someone to give our regular front 4 a rest. Before anybody rips this idea to shreds I am not saying that Aldon needs to be taken out on 3rd down but am more less saying that if we bring a pass rushing specialist in on 3rd down that could give fangio ways to be creative with our defensive fronts on 3rd down and different ways to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks so they don't have all day to throw. I personally like Brandon Jenkins out of Florida State but don't know what his recovery time is going to be and when he will be ready to go. I would like to hear what other members have to say as far as a pass rushing specialist goes, who do u guys think we could draft that would make an impact their rookie year? Any input is appreciated, Thanks, and Go Niners!!

Definitely think there's something to what you're saying. Our front 4-5 (depending on the alignment) take almost all of the snaps and particularly over the last 4-5 games, have looked worn down. They need a legitimate rotational DE to rest McDonald and Justin from time-to-time, and an OLB pass rusher to give Brooks and Aldon a break.

The Niners defense has been exposed as of late and the depth on the front seven is definitely a part of it. No secondary can cover NFL receivers for 3-4 seconds on every play, and our pass rush has definitely taken a hit the last quarter of the season.

The Niners have so many picks in next year's draft, it would be hard to imagine them not addressing these issues this offseason. Senior Bowl practices start today, so it will be interesting to see who emerges as top prospects for our front seven.

Seems like the best general managers are willing to take risks to bring in pass rushers...more so than any other position. So they are always at a premium. The niners have had some key injuries to many backups--Fleming, Haralson and Dobbs really could have been important for the playoffs. Fleming was projected as a developmental pass rush specialist, though was a risk for durability issues, which no doubt dropped his value on draft day. Dobbs played very well with Aldon in the preseason and their chemistry might have helped give Cowboy some rest. Cam Johnson has been injured off and on...not sure what to think of him.

If they go after a pass rusher I would like to see them target a FA or trade up in the first round. Take a risk rather than bring in more developmental guys.They are down to Hagans as a back up for Aldon Smith...yikes! It makes more sense to me to bring in a developmental player on the dline as they have a bit more depth there...depending on FAcy!

Wouldn't be mad if we drafted one.

You can never have too many pass rushers. A lot depends on the type of pass rusher we want to add. For a guy to rotate with Ahmad Brooks/Aldon Smith at OLB, I have an eye on:

Quanterus Smith, Western Kentucky. 6'4, 245lbs. He caught a lot of peoples attention thanks to having one of his best games against Alabama's O-Line (3 sacks).

He tore his ACL in November, so a team is going to have to take a big risk on him since I doubt he will be recovered to do work outs. His coach was Willie Taggart (who is very connected with the Harbaugh family). The big problem I see with his pass rushing is he plays too high when he engages that prevents him from "slipping" by the Tackle after he bull rushes or when he could change direction. But extremely active, good speed, great use of hands, needs to add some lower body muscle (probably10lbs worth) to really hit his potential.

I think we have some potential pass rushers on the roster in Johnson and Fleming. I won't mind taking just one more. I think a bigger priority is getting someone that can clog the middle. That way, teams can't double team Justin Smith on EVERY play, which will allow the Smith brothers and anyone rushing in a more clear path to the QB.

I've been saying for 2 years that we need a better rotation for the DLine. IMO, Dobbs, Tukafu[sp] haven't been impreeive.

Phoenix has made an excellent case for a NT in the first and after readin his input I agree. I'd also like a DE in the 2-3rounds depending on capability.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
You can never have too many pass rushers. A lot depends on the type of pass rusher we want to add.

I completely agree with this statement, Personally I want a guy that is a dynamic edge rusher so we can get creative on third down as far as getting pressure is concerned. I would like to see us maybe try some 1-5-5 defense in third and long situations, just so we can be dynamic with our defense and not give the qb the same look every time and confuse offensive lines by not sending the same 4 or 5 guys every time on third and long situations. Out of our three four base defense I would see it like this substitution wise if we went with a 1-5-5 look on third and long, soap and mcdonald come out, cully and an extra olb/de type come in, smith would stay in the game, unless fatigued then mcdonald could stay in and smith could come out or whatever. You could do a lot of things out this look wise u could go with a muck kind of a look with all 5 linebackers up and moving around to confuse the offensive line, you could move aldon or brooks to the inside, as both have rushed from the inside some before, you could do some zone blitzes out of this personnel. As you can see there are many different options out of this package, but in order to make it work, we need another olb/de type player that can rush the passer.