The San Francisco 49ers are officially represented on NFL Top 100 Players of 2019. New pass rusher Dee Ford is the first Niner to appear on the countdown list. He sits at No. 67 within the ranking. This is Ford's first appearance on the NFL Top 100 Players list.
He's the new pass rusher for the @49ers!
Dee Ford debuts at 67 on the #NFLTop100! pic.twitter.com/sZHyvfFUlY
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 26, 2019
The NFL Top 100 Players list is voted on by players and is based on performance during the previous year and predicted performance during the upcoming season. The list is in its ninth season on NFL Network.
In March, the 49ers sent a second-round pick in next year's draft to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Ford. The move was made to bolster a defensive front that tied for No. 22 last year when it comes to sacking opposing quarterbacks. The unit combined for 37 sacks in 2018.
Ford, 28, is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign and racked up a career-high 13 sacks last year with the Chiefs. He also registered 55 combined tackles and forced seven fumbles through 16 starts in 2018. Ford has recorded 137 combined tackles, 30.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and nine forced fumbles through his five NFL seasons.
The Chiefs made Ford, who played college football at Auburn, the No. 23 overall selection in 2014. San Francisco signed the talented pass rusher to a five-year deal worth up to $85.5 million after finalizing the trade.
So far, NFL Network has only revealed the players ranked No. 60 through No. 100. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Richard Sherman made the list last offseason. The quarterback came in at No. 90 while the cornerback was ranked No. 64.