Maurice Hurst can Evolve Into a Stud for the 49ers

The defensive line is once again going to be a strength of the 49ers' defense.

There is so much quality of depth from top-to-bottom there that it is going to cause the opposition an immense amount of stress to go against. One player in particular that can be a force to be reckoned with is newly signed defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.

Hurst can evolve into a stud for the 49ers.

He is actually a "diamond in the rough" signing. The guy has tremendous talent despite it not being put on full display with the Raiders. Then again, the Raiders are known to underutilize or misuse talent. Pairing up Hurst with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek is the best thing Hurst could do for his career.

Kocurek will be able to fully tap into the potential of Hurst. Right now, Hurst is already a solid defensive tackle. In fact, I would say he is better than D.J. Jones. Hurst is silky smooth as a pass rusher and is solid against the run. It would not shock me to see him starting to win favor in reps. Just imagine once Kocurek gets his hands on him what Hurst can become.

Hurst ranked 11th among interior defensive linemen with 100+ pass rushes in pressure rate last season. He is capable of winning his matchups and getting to the quarterback. But acting as a pass rusher isn't just his strength. Hurst was listed with 6.3% of tackles being missed or broken against the run. The 49ers have acquired a pretty sweet talent here.

To get a more firm grasp on Hurst's talent and his background, I asked Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report to give his thoughts.

"Coming out of Michigan as a disruptive 3-technique defensive tackle, Maurice Hurst showed flashes in his first two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders," Said Moton. "As a starter capable of playing a majority of the snaps in an aggressive scheme, Hurst could realize his full potential with the 49ers. Typically, he's one of the first to get off the line of scrimmage and displays the lateral quickness to make plays outside of his gap with the closing speed to take down quarterbacks who hold on to the ball just a second too long."

Another reason for why Hurst will reach his full potential is that the talent around him with Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Javon Kinlaw will make him better. Think about it, Hurst was productive with below-average talent with the Raiders. This is why I believe he can do some serious damage with the 49ers.

Not only is he already an impactful player, but he can do so much more with a great coach in Kocurek and superb talent around him. Hurst has never had any of these two things before, so I fully expect him to evolve into a stud this season.

Hurst just might end up being one of the best acquisitions in the offseason when it is all said and done.

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