Is the Defensive Line Still a Priority for the 49ers in the Draft?

Both Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com expect the 49ers to draft a defensive lineman in Round 1 despite all they did during free agency.

The 49ers' no. 1 priority during free agency was their defensive line. Have they finished tinkering with it, or will they continue to prioritize it during the upcoming draft?

Both Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com expect the 49ers to draft a defensive lineman in Round 1 despite all they did during free agency. Let's recap: They released Arik Armstead, let go of Javon Kinlaw, Chase Young, Randy Gregory and Clelin Ferrell, signed Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jordan Elliott, and traded for Maliek Collins. Talk about an overhaul. The only defensive linemen returning from last season are Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Drake Jackson, Robert Beal Jr., Kevin Givens and Kalia Davis.

After all those additions and subtractions during free agency, you'd think the 49ers turn their attention to other positions in the draft, considering they have big needs on the offensive line and in the secondary. But the 49ers don't value those positions nearly as much as they value their defensive line. They want to have the best defensive line in the NFL, and they don't have that right now. They have Nick Bosa and a bunch of other solid defensive linemen who can rotate and platoon.

But Arik Armstead was their second-most-dominant defensive lineman when healthy, and now he's gone. So it's possible the 49ers might decide to spend their first-round pick on a defensive tackle who could develop and replace Maliek Collins in a year.

But if the 49ers are smart, they'll spend their first-round pick on anything else.