PFF Ranks Jaguars' Arik Armstead Among Top-20 DL

The former San Francisco 49ers' star is ranked at No. 19.

Aug 30, 2020; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead (91) walks to the field during training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: San Francisco 49ers/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network | Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest additions made to the Jacksonville Jaguars' roster this offseason found himself in the top-20 of a recent Pro Football Focus ranking.

Ranking the top 32 interior defensive lineman for the 2024 season, PFF gave Jacksonville Jaguars' Arik Armstead the nod at No. 19.

Armstead has always had something of a tweener body type, but the 49ers had settled into using him as a fairly conventional interior pass-rusher in recent years. Last season, including the playoffs, he notched 58 quarterback pressures and 18 defensive stops.

Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus

Armstead, who was drafted in the first round by Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke in San Francisco in 2015, has spent the last nine seasons with the 49ers.

Armstead only appeared in 12 regular season games last year due to injuries, though he still finished with five sacks and nearly 60 pressures.

“I’m very confident, these past couple of years I’ve had some random nagging things going on. But football is a sport with one hundred percent injury rate, people want to talk about my past two years and I missed four or five games last year. I finished the playoffs, I played in the Super Bowl," Armstead said after he was signed.

"Before these past two years, I hadn’t missed a game in five years. Injuries are a part of sports and I have my plan together in place to make sure I’m putting my body and myself in the best position to be out there for my team. I’m going to do that, and I think it’s going to go very well. I plan to have a long career; I think I got a good five or six more years in me. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”

In nine seasons, Armstead started 97 games and appeared in 116, recording 33.5 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, and 88 quarterback hits.

"First of all, he's played a ton of football. Trent [General Manager Trent Baalke] has familiarity with him, drafted him in San Francisco. He's been an outstanding player for them," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in March.