The 49ers’ biggest offseason splash came on the interior of the defensive line where they added former Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. That one move could be a significant difference maker for the 49ers, and it gives them two of Pro Football Focus’s 15 best interior defensive linemen.
Hargrave landed at No. 13, while his running mate Arik Armstead came in at No. 15 on PFF’s list.
First, it’s good to see Armstead getting recognition as one of the NFL’s best interior defenders. He has been for the last few seasons even if his sack numbers haven’t matched up to the career best 10.0 he posted in 2019.
San Francisco had the NFL’s top run defense last year thanks in part to Armstead despite struggling to get high level play on the interior. Alongside Armstead they ran a rotation of Javon Kinlaw when he was available, Kevin Givens, Hassan Ridgeway, T.Y. McGill and Akeem Spence. While that group did an admirable job, it was certainly an area the 49ers could improve in the offseason.
The Hargrave addition was the most significant upgrade they could’ve made. It’s more difficult to quantify run defense, but the Eagles offensive line’s dominance inside during the NFC championship game was eye-opening to some of the deficiencies in the middle of the 49ers’ defensive front. Hargrave won’t necessarily shine there, but he’ll more importantly provide a massive pass rush upgrade.
Armstead led 49ers interior defenders last year with 30 pressures, which ranked fourth on the team. The rest of the IDL had a combined 57, and that includes Kerry Hyder’s 14 since he lined up inside for more than half of his snaps. Hargrave alone posted 66 pressures.
Combining Armstead and Hargrave will give the 49ers an interior pass rush presence they’ve lacked since DeForest Buckner’s exit. This could not only help free up Nick Bosa and the other edge defenders, but it could also make life easier on Armstead who has just 9.5 sacks in 42 games since his breakout 2019 campaign.
San Francisco has committed to building its defense from the trenches since Kyle Shanahan arrived as the head coach before the 2017 season. Pairing Hargrave with Armstead makes the 49ers one of two teams (New York Giants) to have two players in PFF’s top 15 interior defensive linemen. Given how well they should be able to play off of each other, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both of them even higher next year.
