The San Francisco 49ers were initially primed to make significant strides under the direction of head coach Kyle Shanahan last season. However, a slew of major injuries almost immediately derailed the 2018-19 campaign for the 49ers, who once again found themselves picking toward the top of the first round of the NFL Draft this offseason.
As a result, Shanahan and the 49ers notably selected former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. It is also worth noting that the 49ers still took Bosa despite acquiring veteran pass rusher Dee Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft in addition to already housing a few more talented defenders up front.
The 49ers obviously find some major value in being stacked at pass rushing positions along the defensive front while Shanahan recently explained the team's focus on such a notion.
“A pass rush hides a lot of things, just like a quarterback can hide a lot of things,” Shanahan said after the 49ers selected Bosa back in April, via David Lombardi of The Athletic. “That’s where it all starts. If you don’t have that pass rush, I don’t care what corners you go get. No one can cover forever, and you can have guys who can get a lot of interceptions, but if that quarterback has forever to throw, it really doesn’t matter.”
Of course, the up-and-coming 49ers will still need to deal with the surging Los Angeles Rams and always dangerous Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West division.
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