Why the 49ers Drafted Drake Jackson

Drake Jackson was the first player taken by the 49ers in the NFL Draft.

It wasn’t the most pressing need to take an edge rusher, but drafting Jackson with the No. 61 pick in the second round is value. The 49ers went best player available here. And edge rusher was, at the very least, a bit of a need for the Niners.

Despite having a superb defensive line last season, it ultimately came down to Nick Bosa and a squad of players. The rest of the defensive linemen essentially made up the impact in the aggregate with Arik Armstead rising once he was kicked inside. Having Bosa be the only superstar pass rusher with no one else to act as a duo with him isn’t optimal. He needs his “Dee Ford” from 2019. His “Robin” to his “Batman” essentially.

“I hope he is as excited to be my teammate as I am to be his,” said Jackson. “As soon as I get out there, I try to find him and get a handshake from him and workout or something. I want to get in there and start getting the knowledge and the things that I need to grow and keep being a monster like him.

"He’s literally a gremlin on the side, he’s a monster. He puts fear into tackles’ eyes, and I just want to be the same way. That coming from the D-Line coach as well. His philosophy is lovely. It is one of those philosophies that is nasty. You have to be nasty to take your reward and I like that type of stuff. That is really the dog mentality, so I can’t wait to get into it.”

Most elite pass rushing defenses have a great tag team. That way an offense can’t key in on more than player to double-team, chip, or flow the play away from. The 49ers haven’t necessarily needed a great tag-team thanks to the magician that is Kris Kocurek. He’s the one that gets rotational players into impact players.

But that’s exactly what makes Jackson so exciting.

Kocurek gets the most and more from players, so imagine how he’ll do with Jackson who’ll get to exclusively be an edge rusher from now. The 49ers will have a fantastic edge rushing duo along with Armstead who can remain inside with Javon Kinlaw. Mix that in with a handful of other players who’ll likely be solid, and you have yourself a cheat code defensive line. When you consider that, it makes sense why the 49ers feel comfortable at strong safety.

Jackson is a means to sustaining and taking the defense to greater heights.