NFL Ranking Shows Just How Much the 49ers Upgraded Their Defensive Line

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was not ranked as one of the ten best defensive tackles in the NFL entering 2026. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN polled executives, scouts, and coaches to see who the league respected at each position the most. While Odighizuwa did not get enough votes to crack the top ten, he was one of 19 players to receive a vote from those inside the league.

Having a top-20 defensive tackle might not sound like a major addition, but compared to what the 49ers had last season, the difference is significant.

San Francisco 49ers Defensive Tackle Osa Odighizuwa Ranking Shows How Much Defense Can Improve

Last season, the 49ers' defensive line consisted of Kalia Davis, Alfred Collins, Jordan Elliott, and CJ West. Collins and West will be back, but the team lost both Davis and Elliott. Davis played 492 snaps for the team last year, and Elliott played 463.

So, while Collins and West are both expected to get more snaps, they are not going to take all 955 snaps that are missing. Those snaps have to be replaced, and Odighizuwa can immediately take on a large portion of that workload. Odighizuwa played 692 snaps last year, so he can take a huge chunk of that work.

Kalia Davis signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns. He is not going to start ahead of Mason Graham or Maliek Collins, so he will compete for depth snaps. Elliott followed Robert Saleh to the Tennessee Titans.

However, so did Solomon Thomas. The two will compete for work next to Jeffery Simmons. So, the 49ers are going to take snaps that were designated for a bottom-of-the-roster tackle and a fringe starter, and they are going to replace them with a top-20 player at the position. That is exactly the type of upgrade they were hoping to make this offseason.

If you look at it like that, it is a significant note that a 49ers tackle got any respect on the list. This takes a lot of the pressure away from Collins and West as well. Now, they can take on more work without worrying about having to carry the group. San Francisco 49ers also added Gracen Halton, a fourth-round rookie, into the mix.

The 49ers have plenty of questions entering 2026, but it is clear that the interior defensive line is going to be better in 2026 than it was in 2025.

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