Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Fluellen: 49ers defensive line too talented to not be a top-five unit in the NFL
Jul 29, 2019 at 6:45 AM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers boast five former first-round picks along their defensive front. The team drafted
Arik Armstead in 2015, Deforest Buckner in 2016, Solomon Thomas in 2017,
Nick Bosa this past April, and traded a second-round pick in next year's draft to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Dee Ford. That is a significant investment along the defensive front, and the 49ers hope it starts paying off this season.
Buckner had a career-high 12 sacks last season. Ford topped that with a career-high 13. Bosa racked up 17.5 in just over two seasons with the Buckeyes. The 49ers need the defensive line to
"wreak havoc on the league," as general manager John Lynch recently put it.
One former NFL defensive tackle, Andre Fluellen, believes it's time for the 49ers' defensive line to step up and start taking over games.
"I think if they're not top-five, possibly even top-three defensive lines in the NFL, it is a disappointment,"
Fluellen told Lindsay Rhodes on NFL Network's NFL Total Access. "A big disappointment. Just too much talent, too much firepower. You've got Nick Bosa. You've got Dee Ford; he had 13 sacks. Then you've got DeForest Buckner in the middle. I'm just telling you they have so many weapons."
Fluellen went on to identify one individual who will make the most significant impact this season, new defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, who he played for while with the Detroit Lions. Fluellen believes the 49ers now have too much talent along the edges, and the defense utilizing the wide-nine will only cause more problems for opposing offensive lines.
"Too much firepower at the edge," Fluellen continued. "Top-five, possibly top-three defensive lines in the NFL."
Fluellen also believes that rookie defensive end Nick Bosa will "hit the ground running" this season. He wasn't a fan of Bosa's older brother, Joey in Los Angeles, when he came out of college and promised himself that he would never make that mistake again.
"I really think that coming out of the gate, he's going to come out and do a phenomenal job, especially since he has such good weapons around him, such good coaching," Fluellen said. "I really think he's going to come out hot."
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Mark Schlereth talks 49ers offensive line
With the 2024 NFL Draft in the near future, it seems the prevailing thought around the league is that the 49ers will need to address the offensive line. While the Niners do boast one of the league's elite players in LT Trent Williams, the rest of the unit has struggled in spots. In fact, San Francisco's right tackle and both guard positions allowed a pressure percentage of over 20% in 2023.
Former Pro Bowl offensive lineman and current NFL analyst Mark Schlereth joined the No Huddle podcast to discuss the current state of the o-line. He noted that when you force San Francisco out of its comfort zone, the weaknesses upfront tend to show up.
"When they're down, that's where
Why ESPN analyst hopes 49ers address O-line in the draft
ESPN analyst Matt Miller watches the San Francisco 49ers differently than other teams. As a 49ers fan, he feels more invested in the team's successes and failures than most analysts.
With the draft nearing, Miller made it clear which direction he believes head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch should take with their first pick. In his ESPN mock draft, a seven-round doozy, the analyst had the 49ers selecting former Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.
Miller recently joined the 49ers Webzone "No Huddle" podcast, sharing why he adamantly hopes the team addresses the offensive line at the end of the month.
"So I
Potential 49ers defensive draft target visiting this week
Last week, it was reported that the San Francisco 49ers planned to host former Kentucky cornerback Andru Phillips on a pre-draft visit. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo confirms that the visit will take place during the upcoming week, which marks the final opportunity for such visits to occur.
Phillips will also meet with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans this week.
Adding a noteworthy tidbit to the social media post, Garafolo mentions, "A likely second-round pick, though some evaluators have first-round grades on
Tom Brady 'not opposed' to NFL return with a playoff-bound team like the 49ers
Just when you thought the San Francisco 49ers and Tom Brady storylines had concluded, the future Hall of Fame quarterback drops another tidbit that sparks discussion. During an episode of "DeepCut with VicBlends," the host asked Brady what he would do if the NFL came calling once again.
VicBlends inquired if Brady would consider returning to the football field if a playoff-bound team like the 49ers needed him.
"I'm not opposed to it," Brady said, per Jordan Mendoza of USA Today. "I don't know if they're gonna let me if I become an owner an NFL team. I don't know, I'm always gonna be in good shape, always be able to
