Shaquil Barrett, Buccaneers 6-2 • 250 pounds • 29 years old
Barrett didn’t come anywhere near his 19.5-sack season of 2019, but he still had a terrific 2020, with 8 sacks and 4 more in the playoffs. He’s not just an excellent pass rusher, but also plays the run well. Not to take anything away from his back-to-back strong seasons, but it can’t be ignored that Jason Pierre-Paul drew double teams on Barrett’s opposite side.
Yannick Ngakoue, Ravens 6-2 • 246 • 26
After forcing his way out of Jacksonville last summer, Ngakoue left a lot of money on the table, making much less with the Vikings and Ravens. It wasn’t a great business decision, and now he will look to break the bank, but it’s not a great year for that with a decreasing salary cap. The bottom line: He’s a good edge rusher (45.5 sacks), who is average against the run.
Trey Hendrickson, Saints 6-4 • 270 • 26
Hendrickson is coming off a breakout season with 13.5 sacks, after coming nowhere near that total his first three seasons. One has to wonder if it was an aberration. Having Cam Jordan on the other side helps, but Hendrickson deserves credit for how much he improved his technique.
Melvin Ingram, Chargers 6-2 • 247 • 31
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EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
