The 49ers’ biggest weakness is not a secret. Their production from their pass rush was lackluster for most of the season, and arguably the biggest contributor to all of their substantial issues on defense. It appears San Francisco is primed to address that need in next year’s draft after neglecting the position this year.
General manager John Lynch was asked Monday about the pass rushers in the 2019 draft and he had positive reviews in his initial assessment.
“I think it’s strong there. That’s clear,” he told reporters at his season-ending press conference. “There’s good pass rushers in this draft. I think that’s a strength of this draft. That will be. Everyone is looking for those guys, so I think we’re excited. Everybody is excited for that.”
Lynch’s statement echoes what many draft analysts have said all year about the 2019 class. All statements about a draft should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s hard to believe this is some kind of smokescreen from the 49ers’ GM given the perceived talent at that spot in this year’s draft.
An edge rusher or two would be a nice addition to a 49ers defense that ranked 23rd in sacks and last in takeaways this season.
Perhaps the depth in the 2019 class means the 49ers are willing to move around the board to acquire picks and still get a high quality player they think can help their defense. It could also mean that they’re locked in on one or two players that they’ll take with the second overall pick.
Either way, an edge rusher has to be a priority for the 49ers this offseason. They tried hard to acquire Khalil Mack and fell short. Now they have a chance to land one in a strong draft class, and it simply has to come early in the draft to ensure they get the best possible talent at that position.
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