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Taking a look back on Elvis Dumervil's impact as a pass-rusher within defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's defense.
The narrative over the last few years (since Aldon Smith) for the Forty-Niners' defense has been finding a pass-rusher that could generate consistent disruptive pressure on opposing quarterbacks, which would equate to showing up in the sack column. When General Manager John Lynch signed ex-teammate Elvis Dumervil, who stands at 6-0 and weighs 255 lbs., to a two-year deal worth $8 million (per OverTheCap.com), he expected him to contribute as a pass-rusher and be a mentor to the likes of DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Solomon Thomas, and underachieving edge rusher Aaron Lynch. Now hold that thought...
Looking back on Elvis Dumervil's impact as a pass-rusher
Dumervil got off to a slow start initially, but as he told the media, sacks will come in bunches. And that's just what happened against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 when Dumervil sacked the recently retired Carson Palmer twice. In Week 5, he had 1.5 sacks on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Dumervil was also playing with extreme violence; just ask Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage who was knocked out the game by a vicious hit from Dumervil.
Fast forward to the last game of the season against the L.A. Rams, Dumervil registered two solo tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, and a quarterback hit on Sean Mannion, who stands at 6-6 and weighs in at 231 lbs.
2017 statistics at a glance: While appearing in 16 games and 341 defensive snaps, Dumervil accounted for 6.5 sacks (which led the team), nine tackles (4 were solo), eight tackles for losses, and 18 quarterback hits (via ESPN.com).
Pro Football Focus Grade: Dumervil as a situational (LEO) pass-rusher in Saleh's scheme posted an overall grade of 76.1, pass rush grade of 79.0, run defense grade of 46.0, and a coverage grade of 60.4. Dumervil's pass rush grade was the highest of any edge rusher on the team. Armstead was second at 76.3. In fact, the only other 49ers player that graded out higher than Dumervil was Buckner at 89.6.
The bottom line on Dumervil
Elvis was in the building when it came to providing a veteran presence in the locker room and mentoring his fellow teammates as aforementioned. And as far as production goes, the 33-year-old pass-rusher proved he can still not only be productive and effective, but he's fully recovered from his Achilles heel injury. The question now is, does Dumervil have anything left in the tank for 2018?
Here's what he had to say about that:
"From the top down, I think we all understand I have a lot in my tank," Dumervil said, per the San Francisco Chronicle. "That's not a question. I said this from the beginning: I didn't come to San Francisco to just sail off into the sunset."
Dumervil, who has 105.5 career sacks, obviously still has the passion and the desire to keep playing and competing at a high level. I wouldn't bet against him on making the team this year and having a role similar to the one he had in 2017.
