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The 49ers' Defensive Line Ranks 21st in the NFL per Pro Football Focus

Under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, the 49ers have had a clear philosophy: Knock down the opposing quarterback.
Grant Cohn|
Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) chats up new teammate Bryce Huff (47) during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) chats up new teammate Bryce Huff (47) during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, the 49ers have had a clear philosophy: Knock down the opposing quarterback.

If they can build a dominant defensive line, they can win. That's why they've spent so much money and so many first-round picks on defensive linemen since 2017.

And yet, despite all of that investment, the 49ers' defensive line ranks just 21st out of 32 teams entering the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus.

"Once considered to be the best defensive line in football, the 49ers’ unit now relies mainly on star edge rusher Nick Bosa," writes PFF's Zoltán Buday. "The Ohio State product earned a 91.0 PFF overall grade in 2024, which ranked fourth among edge defenders. The rest of the group leaves a lot to be desired. The 49ers must hope that Bryce Huff can find his old form as he reunites with Robert Saleh. Huff was among the best situational pass rushers in the league during his time with the Jets."

A big reason Bosa's sack production has been down the past few seasons is the lack of talent around him on the defensive line. Opponents have been able to focus on him much more than they could when he was younger.

That's why the 49ers drafted Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and C.J. West this offseason. Those three rookies will determine just how good the defensive line will be this year. And Pro Football Focus has no way to project how successful rookies will be. So this unit mostly is a mystery. But it certainly has the potential to be special if the young players grow up quickly.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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