The defensive line sits at or near the top of the list of roster flaws the San Francisco 49ers must fix this offseason if they hope to return to Super Bowl form.
One issue they run into in their quest is that their ability to spend big in free agency is going to be hamstrung by quarterback Brock Purdy’s contract extension. They’ll have a little wiggle room in the free agent market, but a sustained run of success is going to require them to hit on some draft picks on the defensive front. It’s worth noting the Philadelphia Eagles top six defensive linemen were Eagles draft picks, and five of them were on rookie contracts.
While the defensive line has often been a focus of the 49ers’ team-building under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, they’ve struggled when drafting players in that position group.
Defensive end Nick Bosa was the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft. He was a home run pick, but also an obvious selection after quarterback Kyler Murray went No. 1 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. It’s hard to find a lot of quality picks on the DL outside of that.
Let’s go year-by-year:
2017
Round 1, Pick 3: DE Solomon Thomas, Stanford
Round 6, Pick 198: DT DJ Jones, Ole Miss
Round 6, Pick 202: DE Pita Taumoepenu, Utah
Jones is a really nice find in the sixth round. He spent five years in San Francisco before signing a free agent deal with the Denver Broncos in 2022. Thomas was a huge whiff at No. 3 overall, and Taumoepenu only played six games for the 49ers in two years.
2018
Round 4, Pick 128: DT Kentavius Street, North Carolina State
Round 7, Pick 223: DT Jullian Taylor, Temple
Street had injury problems that limited him to three games his first two years. He played 32 games in 2020 and 2021 and posted 3.0 sacks before leaving to join the New Orleans Saints in 2022. Taylor had some flashes, but he only played in 12 games across two seasons.
2019
Round 1, Pick 2: DE Nick Bosa, Ohio State
Home run. And the only DL pick of the draft.
2020
Round 1, Pick 14: DT Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina
The 49ers traded back one spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to select Kinlaw. He had a couple of moments as a rookie, but then injuries limited him to 10 games the next two years. He was mostly ineffective in 17 games in 2023, then signed with the New York Jets after his rookie deal was up. The hope was that Kinlaw could replace DeForest Buckner after they traded him to the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 13 pick. That did not work out.
2021
No defensive linemen selected.
2022
Round 2, Pick 61: DE Drake Jackson, USC
Round 6, Pick 220: DT Kalia Davis, UCF
There was some hope that Jackson would find a home at DE in San Francisco after bouncing around to various positions in college. He struggled to produce as a rookie, and then injuries hit in Year 2 that cost him half of that year and all of his third year. Davis is in a similar boat where availability and production have been a problem. He’s played in 16 games after taking his rookie season to recover from an ACL injury he suffered in college.
2023
Round 5, Pick 173: DE Robert Beal, Georgia
Beal could have played a huge role for the 49ers last season. He suited up for 14 games, but he earned only 148 (17 percent) of the defensive snaps per Pro Football Reference. Beal has lots of physical tools. They’ve not translated to successful pass rushing in the NFL.
2024
No defensive linemen selected.
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To summarize: the 49ers haven’t drafted a regularly productive defensive lineman in the four drafts since selecting Bosa. Their swings since then have actually been largely disastrous.
The four players they’ve drafted at the position since Bosa have played in 98 games and posted 126 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 13.0 sacks.
Perhaps the 49ers didn’t view the D-line as a need while they hoped for some free agent additions and previous draft picks to pan out. It’s clear at this point though they’ll need to make big changes to that group in the draft.
The problem is their previous attempts at big changes have fallen with a resounding thud. Kinlaw and Jackson were bad early-round picks, and they have not been able to run into a late-round gem. If they’re going to fix their defensive line via the draft this year, it’s going to require a substantially different approach to scouting the position. Without those changes, history tells us they’re unlikely to overhaul their defensive front in 2025.