The 2020 decimation of San Francisco’s roster has caused defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to lean greatly upon several unheralded players and reserves who either didn’t play for the 49ers last season or didn’t have significant roles in the team’s fearsome 2019 defense that ranked second in the NFL and carried the 49ers into Super Bowl LIV. Here’s a rundown on players who have emerged to keep the 49ers operating among the top-ranked defenses in the NFL, responding to Saleh’s message and methods to get the most out of their abilities while becoming notable factors in San Francisco’s defensive success this season.
DE Kerry Hyder: The fifth-year lineman has emerged from the shadows to produce a career season and become San Francisco’s top rushing threat off the edge. Hyder was a situational player with only two previous career starts with three other NFL teams before he signed a one-year deal with the 49ers as a free agent in March. After Pro Bowl right end Nick Bosa was lost for the season with a torn ACL in Week 2, Hyder stepped into Bosa’s place in the starting lineup and has remained there ever since, strengthening his grip on the position as one of San Francisco’s most impactful defenders of 2020. Hyder entered the final quarter of this season as the team’s runaway leader with 7.5 sacks — no other 49ers player had more than two — while also contributing 40 tackles and a team-high nine stops behind the line of scrimmage. Hyder also ranks among the NFL leaders among edge defenders in run-stop percentage during a season that already has far exceeded expectations.
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Niner Report.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición January 2021 de Niner Report.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
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.
