Position Outlook
The San Francisco 49ers defensive line will look slightly different heading into the 2022 season without three players who had a big impact on the team’s defensive success last year: D.J. Jones (Denver Broncos), Arden Key (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Kentavius Street (New Orleans Saints). The trio finished last season with a combined 105 total stops, 21 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.
To help fill the void left by the departures of Jones, Key, and Street, San Francisco added draft capital by selecting Southern California’s Drake Jackson with the 61st-overall pick, a starting-caliber defensive rookie the team hopes can help support the edge. The 49ers also picked up rookies Kevin Atkins and Kalia Davis alongside NFL veteran free agents Kemoko Turay, Hassan Ridgeway and Kerry Hyder Jr..
The 2022 season awaits comeback campaigns for Javon Kinlaw and Maurice Hurst who missed the majority of last season due to injuries. Kinlaw, who was hoped to put together a revived sophomore year, was limited to just four games before undergoing an ACL reconstruction surgery back in October. Since, general manager John Lynch revealed that Kinlaw has returned to the team facility and appears to be on track in his recovery.
“It’s nice to see Javon walking around with a smile. He’s not in pain anymore,” Lynch said during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. “The plan is he could be back there in the offseason program, but we want to make sure that he is fully rehabbed. We don’t want to rush this because he’s so critical to our success. He’s got such a high ceiling.”
As for the 49ers D-line veterans, Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa look to continue where they left off last season. Bosa earned his second Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and San Francisco exercised the fifth-year contract option on the edge rusher for the 2023 season. Armstead notched a career-high 63 total tackles last season after moving to a primarily interior role on the defensive line. In fact, Pro Football Focus listed…
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