Much is said of the five former first-round picks the San Francisco 49ers have along the defensive line. Two of those former first-rounders, veteran Dee Ford and rookie Nick Bosa, were added this offseason.
Often going unmentioned while discussing the 49ers defensive front is Ronald Blair. He should be, though. The coaching staff knows what Blair is capable of and thinks highly of the fourth-year player and former fifth-round pick.
Blair has 10.5 sacks in his three NFL seasons but has started only two games. The coaches have even discussed Blair one day becoming a coach, but he's just focused on playing football right now. He loves the game too much to think that far into the future.
"If you like winning, you like Ronnie Blair," defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said on July 30. "If you don't like winning, you don't like him. I love him to death. He can do no wrong in my book. He's got great versatility. He'll play nickel if you ask him to, and he'll know what to do, and he'll execute."
The 49ers must love Blair. He is one of only 10 players on the roster who was around in 2016. He is one of just six draft picks left from the previous regime.
So what did Blair think about the offseason additions to the defensive line? Is he fearful that he might get pushed down the depth chart? It doesn't sound like it.
"It's great for me, honestly," Blair told reporters on Saturday. "In the D-line room, you always want weapons alongside you that can help the room, ultimately. So to me, it's a great experience having guys like Nick and guys like Dee, seeing them work in and work out. They're probably going to get double teams and stuff, so that's probably going to open up some things for me and vice versa. If I wreak havoc, it's probably going to open up stuff for them. In that room, if I scratch your back, you scratch mine."
Every rep is special for Blair because he knows the opportunity to play football could end at any moment. That's why he plays so hard, as if every rep is his last.
Blair also discussed and praised the 49ers' top draft pick and teammate in the D-line room.
"He's a baller, straight up," Blair said of Bosa. "He got drafted that high for a reason, and he's holding up to that standard. In that room, we've got just a high standard for each other, so we try to make sure we keep that standard as high as possible.
"I know we have high standards for him, but he probably has even more higher standards for himself. We just want to keep pushing each other to be the best players we can be, and at the end of the day, it's only going to make us better."