49ers Edge Rusher Depth Chart

[Music] from the Alle at K to the Glory Days at the stick from who's got it better than us to Brick by Brick it's always the 49ers way from off SE to game day yeah we talk back it's the 49ers cut back [Music] it's 49ers cutback podcast time welcome to the show everyone time to talk about those Edge rushers the 49ers had to make some decisions when it came to Edge Rush during the season they were looking for players that were going to be able to play the position at a high level because Drake Jackson first of all wasn't playing really the level they wanted him to play and then he suffered an injury so the 49ers went out looking for players that they could add they could add to the roster and they found some guys they were able to bring in guys to help with this football team and potentially push them over the top getting Chase young is always a nice move when you can get a guy that was a top three pick in the NFL draft and a player with explosive abilities size uh speed everything there for what you're looking for they also brought in Randy Gregory along the way as well from Denver they used late round picks to be able to acquire defensive ends to help Rush opposite of Nick Bosa but this has been a question mark about players opposite of Bosa for a while the forers have had some solid players of course D Ford was the one they really wanted to make an impact on this football team with the speed and power combination he was Electric in 2019 opposite of Nick Bosa but we know back injuries next injuries derailed what D Ford was going to be able to do so then they went ahead and they found other guys that were similar go and bring Samson eom in trade for Charles am minu uh sign ardan key and you have guys that can Rush opposite of Bosa but also have some versatility to move inside but it seems every single time the San Francisco 49ers find a edge Defender that compliments Nick Bosa they go and get a huge deal on the open market Samson Ecom close to $10 million a year Charles am minu close to $10 million a year Arden key just got his second contract since being away from the 49ers over $10 million a year this is just something that has become the norm when it comes to the 49ers development by Chris cerak of defensive ends has led to contracts now even though all those players got big money out on the open market it's not like they produce at the level that the fors were expecting fors hav't had a double digit sack guy opposite of Bosa the whole time I mean D Ford was the guy that got it done but everybody else they've been looking for that guy that could even come close to getting those numbers you're usually getting those numbers from the interior defensive line whether that was Eric Armstead in 2019 or others who have been able to get after the quarterback this year it was Javon hardgrave with seven and a half so the forers have been looking for that answer at the edge and you can always address it in the draft you can go get players and if it meets up and it aligns you go ahead and you get those guys a few years ago it was Drake Jackson in the second round let's bring in Drake last year it was let's bring in Robert Beal and see what he can do we started hearing about GTFO uh that was a new term for Chris ceric and the stats group there that was going ahead and tell you how fast somebody gets off the football and so the 49ers are consistently looking for a edge Defender opposite of Bosa that can make an impact so they addressed it in for agency and they address it in for agency in a big way so we're going to talk talk about how this depth chart looks some of the players the 49ers have added and some guys who maybe at the bottom of the roster you're not really aware of yet uh but we're going to give an overview we'll have to do a deeper dive on them in another episode but hope you guys will all check out this episode the depth chart uh let's get it set up because the forers are going to go through OTAs they're going to work to training camp and this is how the depth chart could possibly look heading into a training camp and then that's where you start to make your roster so like And subscribe to the channel if you haven't already appreciate it if you're listening on audio platform 49ers cutback on believe please give it a festar rating and if you're going to bet bet with bet online bet online is your number one source for all your summer Sports this season from MLB golf NBA and NHL Playoff stats all the latest stats news and scores available to follow your favorite teams get the latest odds and lines including the latest team matchups player props and odds on just about every sport out there head to the website today or use your mobile device to get in on the action bet online where the game starts well for the 49ers when it comes to playing Edge it's really easy to see where it starts it starts with the guy on the thumbnail Nick Bosa as soon as Nick Bosa became the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft the 49ers knew that one side of their defensive line was going to be set established for years to come the 49ers knew day one how good Nick Bosa was and Kyle shennon and John Lynch's philosophy on football and building a football team starts in the trenches and starts at defensive line you got to be able to stop the run Bosa does that pretty well but you also got to be able to get after the quarterback the most critical player on the entire field is the quarterback so you either want to get after him or you want to protect him and the 49ers chose Bosa to go ahead and get after him and Bosa has shown the ability to be a allpro player in this league a defensive player of the year so the 49ers know what they got but like I brought up earlier the question marks have been what do they have after eom aminu D Ford all possible guys who came and left and the 4ers thought Drake Jackson potentially was the guy last year break's not so the 49ers have looked in the open market and they brought in a couple players first off they brought in Leonard Floyd and this was a dynamite signing for the 49ers because Leonard Floyd is the model of consistency Leonard Floyd consistently gets around double digit sacks and most of the time he gets double digit sacks and he's always available to play what are some of the concerns you had with a guy like D4 he wasn't available to play what are concerns about Drake Jackson he hasn't always been available to play you knew eukon was going to play for the most part you knew a many he was going to play for the most part but neither one of them have produced a 10 sack season in their career in fact both of them together on the 49ers barely produce 10 sacks so the production you're going to get from Floyd right away is going to be huge he's a legitimate threat off the edge so if you want to double team Nick Bosa double team at your own Peril you have to know that Floyd is a very talented technician on the other side he's got the speed he's got the strength he's got the The Leverage he's got the the arm length everything you're looking for in an edge Defender is he as good against the run as maybe some of the other guys who have played opposite of Bosa in the past no you're going to give up some in the Run game but where he's very solid is getting after the quarterback if you get to Third and long that's when you're going to have a real problem with Leonard Floyd that's when you're going to have opportunities and I think we all know that the 49ers need somebody that can consistently win opposite of Bosa when you pay that much attention to Bosa you need to pay for it whether that is Floyd whether that is hardgrave whoever that is they need to make sure that teams pay for paying that much attention to Bosa if that's the case it will then open up Bosa to do so much more now we'll see what happens with the defensive philosophy we know Chris cerak is still going to want to run his wide nine but what will Nick senson uh do with this def defense will he move guys around will he run stunts will he be aggressive those things are also going to play into how these guys handle their positions their roles and how many opportunities they have to rush from different spots so it's it's going to be a wait and see approach but we've seen Deo move him around so potentially that's what we're going to do and then we have Brandon Staley Who's involved with Nick senson as far as helping with this defense and game planning and he has a real knowledge of what Leonard Floyd does from their time time when they were together with the Los Angeles Rams so I think this was a great signing for the 49ers it added much needed depth but a legit threat off the outside not just a name like you know Chase young was having a good season last year uh but it's he was had a lot of injury concern so there wasn't really the consistency when it came to chase with lard Floyd you have consistency and people are going to absolutely have to game plan for him and if you don't you're going to be in trouble so that was a great signing I think everyone believes it's Nick Bosa and then it's Leonard Floyd and then it's yor gr Matos and yor grados is a solid player and he's an edge Defender that is good against the run so we talked about where Floyd gives it up a little bit when it comes to the Run game rosmos does not he's a very solid guy setting the edge and not allowing any sort of push in the Run game that's exactly what you have to have it's funny the way the 49ers have signed or even traded for players you're getting the Best of Both Worlds a guy who's very talented when it comes to pass rushing and then a guy who sets The Edge or is very good against the Run not only did they do this at defensive end with gr Matos and Floyd they did it with defensive tackle as well with Malik Collins and with Jordan Elliott Malik Collins the better pass rusher Jordan Elliott the better run stopper the 49ers are getting the best of both RS and finding a mixture that they can use depending on what they're going against offensively ly uh this is a team that is more prone to run the football run the football right at you with double teams well insert gross MTO that defensive end insert Jordan Elliott at defensive tackle and now you're a better run stopping defense now if you want to get after the quarterback because you got a team that's going to throw a lot well now Malik Collins comes in the game and you play more Leonard Floyd you can definitely play games with it it also allows you R MOS Jordan Elliott on early Downs Malik Collins and Leonard Floyd win it's third and long so the 49ers are doing a good job of building a roster in a depth chart that has ability to do a lot of different things your flexibility in your scheme is important it helps you with matchups it helps you to be able to overcome you know things that you think are obstacles when going against a offense I like what the 49ers are doing with the talent they're picking but Ross MOS was also significant because he still got upside he still got the ability to continue to grow at the defensive V position I think he can get better as a pass rusher but also he's a must fit for the ardan key rooll for those of you who don't know the ardan key role was established a little while back the 49ers decided that they were going to take a defensive end in ardan key and they were going to move him in on obvious Pass Downs now it actually had gotten started the year before in 2019 in 2019 the 49ers had Eric Armstead as a base defensive end who played primarily against the run on obvious Pass Downs Armstead would move inside next to Buckner and in came D Ford and Bosa would rush on the other side that's where the for Yards First experienced it now later on they decided to go ahead and make ardan key that guy that did that and key was very successful especially on the inside being too quick for interior offensive lineman with his defense of in Talent as far as Speed and Agility now he was unique because he's able to hold up in the Run game as well because he was physical and he was big and he was long and he played low for a defensive end so he was able to hold up those players are unique the forers have been looking for guys like that Charles amue was one of those guys traded for him from Houston and he stepped right into that ardan key role with a lot of success now gross Matos gross Matos is build in the same way he can play it just like those guys keyi a better pass rusher than all of them but all of them good hand workk good technique able to set the edge in the run so they have position versatility to play outside and inside so the 49ers get their guy that now can go back to running this type of scheme and you want versatility you want flexibility within your scheme and it gives Chris cerak another weapon to be able to use on obvious Pass Downs you want to pull a defensive tackle you want to pull Malle Collins you can do that put your cheer gross Matos inside next to Javon hardgrave and then you rush Leonard Floyd and you rush Nick Bosa that's probably your best pass rush group together so uh 49ers coming with versatility and they got it with these two free agent signings that I think everyone was expecting them to sign at least one but the fact that they went out there and got two very impressive they let other guys like Cleveland frell Chase young they let them go ahead and move on Ry Gregory three defensive ends leave these two guys come in and they're going to field a Marriott of rols next up is Robert Beal and I don't know if people are gonna have Robert Beal as the fourth best defensive end but that's kind of where I'm going because when it came down to push game to shove last season Robert Beal was getting significant snaps and he didn't play a lot during the playoffs he didn't play a lot during the Super Bowl but he was available he was in those roster spots and he was going out there and getting some snaps in now be has got something that everyone wishes they had is that first step speed that Elite Speed the dtfo as Chris ceric would say he's also a big physical guy who should be able to set the edge against the Run he was definitely a guy that was developmental but he got a season he got practice time in he's got the ability now to step in and make something happen so hopefully he can stay healthy through training camp this year and really go out there and show the 49ers what he's got I think they're high on Robert Beal with the versatility that he can run uh he could cover guys if you need him to he can come off the edge he can set the edge in the Run you'll probably slide him inside sometimes on obvious Pass Downs so I think they like Robert Beal and what he could add to this football team and that's what you have to have when you're getting into your depth you have to have guys you can count on that brings something unique and whenever you have that kind of speed and that ability to get off you got to feel like they have something different than everybody else so Beal Jr is somebody that we can see some Development coming from this season and maybe he will step into his own and create that fourth Edge rusher because you can't have Nick Bosa taking all the snaps it just doesn't work out that way B is going to eventually wear down everyone does I mean that's just the way it goes now Bosa he'll do it as long as he can but getting a steady rotation makes it so Nick Bosa so Leonard Floyd are available at the end of the game to go close things out that's what you want fresh defensive players when you get to the end of the game that can go close this game out and uh 49ers if they get a step in the right direction for Robert Beal could be four deep at defensive end something they haven't really been they were trying to get there last year but it wasn't really working out so field could be very significant to the 49ers this season now number five Drake Jackson and Drake Jackson coming in behind Robert Beal has a lot to do with the fact he's not that good of a run stopper we knew that this was going to be a question mark but we were hoping he was going to develop as a guy that could set the edge against the run the problem is it hasn't got there in fact last season felt like it took even a further step back he was getting put on the ground he was getting kicked out they were creating lanes and making it more difficult for the linebackers to have to make tackles in space and when that happens and you're not in your spot and you get pushed it creates bigger holes bigger holes mean tougher time to be able to tackle uh in that in that hole so when it comes to Drake Jackson he's got to get a whole lot better when it comes to stopping the run and if he's going to be just a premier pass rusher he's got to get to the quarterback consistently now last year in Pittsburgh he had three sacks in that game but they were all run and chase sacks and that's important to have a guy that can run and chase the quarterback when you have Nick Bosa on the other side but eventually they're going to put all their attention on Bosa not allow him to have any victories and then you have to win you can't just run and chase and I think that's the problem with Drake Jackson we didn't see the development in his pass rush technique from year one to year two he was well documented that he worked out and tried to get stronger during the offseason last year I think there's still a lot that he's got to do to get better as far as speed and power and being able to translate that speed and power into pass rush he's got all the athletic ability in the world that's why people are so high on him but he's got to be able to bend the corner he's got to be able to get home and he's got to be able to get home on the first move on occasion and then the second move he's got to put together I don't think we've saw secondary pass rush moves that have worked for Drake Jackson he looks overpowered he looks outmatched he looks like with an offensive linemen get their hands on him it's pretty much a done deal but we've got to get better technique we've got to get better leverage we got to get better speed there's a lot of things that need to go the right way for Drake Jackson I think Chris cerk definitely going to keep working on it I don't think they've given up on Jackson that's for sure but the truth is there's no guarantees Drake Jackson makes this roster for the San Francisco 49ers uh I mean if they keep five defensive ends he might squeak in at number five but right now if they keep four he's going to have overtake Robert Beal Jr and will the 49ers look at Robert Beal Jr and the way that he played last year and say you know what we think because he can set the edge he's somebody we would rather have with that pass rush upside he still got that Quick Step so Drake Jackson and Robert Beal are going to be an absolute battle when it comes to this defensive end position next up a familiar name Austin Bryant he came over last year from the Detroit Lions and he got a few uh times where he came up to the main roster he was on the practice squad and then he was elevated and the 49ers even did the same thing elevated him for the playoffs and Super Bowl that didn't actually make him active for the game but he was a elevation and Bryant's a unique athlete from Clemson uh he's been in the league for a little while and had one season with Detroit where he had five sacks and he shows explosiveness he shows the ability to get home to the quarterback on occasion and what's interesting about him you see him on the practice field when I went to training it looks like he plays power forward in the NBA he's got long legs a long build uh very strong and the guys got the look of what it takes to be a defensive end in the NFL and so it was his first time consistently putting his hand in the ground and he thought he did a pretty good job he developed enough during training camp for the four yards to keep him around in the practice squad and for them to elevate him on occasion his real problem is being able to disengage from offensive players you know who else has that problem Drake Jackson and so you've got to be able to consistently get better so he has the athleticism the first step to be able to get home but the consistency with pass rush techniques has been a problem also even though he set the edge okay he needs to get better setting the edge against the run so I think Austin Bryant's still developmental he's still younger he's not old so he's still got room for improvement and I think he's battling he's one of these guys that's battling for a roster spot uh but right now I have him behind Robert Beal and Drake Jackson because the four Ys invested draft capital in them H Austin Bryant's very talented and he could definitely go in there and steal it when he talking about athleticism Beal Jackson Austin Bryant super athletic I think he cruises in there right there at that six spot next up Alex Barrett and Alex Barrett's been around the 49 team for a few years now on the practice squad occasionally he gets brought up the guy that's continued to work on his body continued to work on his craft and every single year when you go to training camp he gets everyone's attention because there's a motor uh he's going to win certain reps he uses leverage he plays low he maximizes his abilities and you got to give a lot of credit to Alex Barrett for how he competes also willing to play inside and out that's something that Chris cerak uses him a lot they have a defensive tackle injury he'll step in and get defensive tackle reps especially at camp and in practice but he rushes from The Edge and he's normally an edge Defender and he does a pretty good job setting the edge he uses all of his frame to be able to uh you know keep himself from getting pushed out and creating these big open holes or running backs to run the football his problem is he doesn't have the quick twitch of the guys ahead of him he doesn't have the ability to consistently bend the quarter he doesn't have the length to be able to win with the straight arm uh he doesn't have you know the necessary um speed to size ratio to consistently win in Bull rushes so he has to use technique and he has to use skill to get everything he gets and I think he does a good job I think he's a good player I just don't think that he's got a shot to make this 49ers 53 man roster I think he's more than likely potentially ends up on the practice squad again but if one of these other younger players you know potentially you know fall through the cracks don't make the 53 they might be on the practice squad instead of him so uh he's a guy they feel comfortable with he knows the system he knows what his responsibilities are they know if they had to bring him up he will give everything he's got and he will battle and compete and a lot of times that's what you're looking for when you're talking about depth pieces especially on the practice squad because those guys are also going to push your starters in practice and give them a good look so uh Barrett is a fun guy he's been around the team for a long time I think the 40 yards will keep him around as long as they can but I don't think he's a legitimate option to make this team you'll probably hear in training camp some people saying hey Alex Barrett's actually one of the top five guys that happens every single year and then he doesn't make the roster and a lot of it is because you know he's a he's a guy that works he works hard but he just doesn't have it overall necessary size and and speed and everything uh Raven Johnson is on the 49ers now and 6'3 270 pounds he was a undrafted free agent who signed with the New York football Giants out of college he went to Georgia State and he's a a guy that's kind of a a tweener because at 63270 he's a big defensive end but he doesn't really have the speed at 49 to be a guy that can consistently bend the corner you don't see that on his film you don't see a guy that consistently wins from the outside but a guy that has to get more into the body has to rely more on his physicality his heavy hands to get into the chest plate of the offensive lineman and get a little bit of a bull rush going he can throw in some moves uh so he has some technique work and I'm sure it's gotten a little bit better since his college days in his time in the NFL so the 49ers bringing in guys that are bigger that are better at setting the edge in the Run doesn't surprise me at all when you got guys like Drake Jackson and Robert Beal and Austin Bryant already right you get those guys who are a little bit different but I think that's what they got going on here with Raymond Johnson I think he's an interesting Prospect I'm curious to see what he looks like in ceric system how quickly is he going to get off the ball I think if he can't put pressure off the edge the 49ers might look to move him inside on occasion and see if he can pass rush from the inside but uh this is a of those guys you're bringing in see what you can get out of him he may be the new Alex Barrett as a guy with a little bit more upside than Barrett because he's got a little bit more length a little bit more size uh could be a little bit interesting for him and then the next is Sam okanu uh he was a defensive lineman Sledge out of Maryland so a former terpin and the 49ers brought him in and he had been on the Tennessee Titans an undrafted free agent from the Tennessee Titans but you're looking at him when you're you're seeing size he's six 1290 you're talking about a big defensive end now not tall that height is only the 10 top 10 percentile uh when it comes to height but 290 at that position at 61 you're talking about a guy well put together a lot of muscle a lot of size not very long arms but he runs a 4740 the guy can move he's PR fast he's got a pretty good shuttle 35 in vertical he was strong he did 31 bench press reps three cone was 748 so this is a guy that moves for a defensive end I think he's a more a a more transitional guy that can play outside and inside I think he's built in that manner he can give you defensive ends reps as a base defensive end and then on obvious Pass Downs he can move inside in college that's how he won when he got moved inside he won on the inside so it's a guy that fits a certain Niche within the 49ers defense they're looking for guys with versatility that can win on the inside we talked about gr Matos earlier and there are other guys as well that are Edge Defenders that are going to play inside so 49ers definitely have their type as you're going through the roster you see their depth chart they have a certain type of player and now they have these guys who are undrafted for agents towards the bottom of the roster that you can go ahead and bring in man Chris cerak has talked about the before that you know he works with these guys as far as he looks at him in the draft he works through everything and then he kind of keeps an eye on on them see what they're doing uh see where they go see how much success they're having because just because they don't work out in another system doesn't mean they won't fit your system you feel like you get something someone in your system you maximize their abilities and maybe they pan out so for's going with some guys that have some ability they have some size they could bring in and potentially develop which is a little bit different than last year where there was a lot more names that you were very very familiar with but uh they got some guys now that that are on this team so the way I got the Edge depth chart right now heading into OTAs heading into uh mini camps and then of course training camp is Nick Bosa of course one Leonard Floyd two utorr Matos three Robert Beal four Greg Jackson Five Austin Bryant six Alex Barrett seven Raymond Johnson eight and then Sam okanu nine and the truth is I think this is how the 4 Ys are going to have it but I actually like okanu a a little bit better than Raymond Johnson so uh you could flip those guys or whatever but War got some Talent at the edge Rush of course we know four or five guys are going to make this team from the edge Rush room and that will determine what happens at defensive line when it comes the defensive tackles and of course I'm going to get to that depth chart as well cuz forers brought in some new additions and lost someone so that's going to be a lot of fun as well let me know what you guys think about the 49ers defensive end or Edge Rush room did they do enough to add address the concerns that they've had over the last couple seasons and especially last season where they just didn't get the production out of the young players and they had to go out and they had to get Chase young and Randy Gregory and bring guys in I want to know what you think about that do you think I have these guys salot slotted correctly would you put Drake Jackson above Robert Beal uh I want to know about that as well so thank you guys so much for watching like And subscribe to the channel if you haven't already really appreciate it 49ers cutback onel available on all audio platform Spotify Apple podcast wherever you listen to your podcast of course this episode is brought to you by bet online the game starts here I'll catch you guys all in the next one until then stay safe remember the right way is always the 49ers way