The 49ers' interior defensive line was the weakest area of the team on that side of the ball in 2022. Come next offseason, there's a chance they could be regarded as having the best defensive tackle duo in the the NFL.

Having seen their defensive tackles struggle to produce consistent pressure last year, the 49ers made a big splash in free agency by signing Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal.

Hargrave received that contract after he racked up a career-high 11 sacks in helping the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

It is a signing that, according to an ESPN poll of league officials, executives, coaches and players, gives the 49ers a top-five defensive tackle.

That survey, conducted by Jeremy Fowler, put fifth in a ranking of the top 10 players at the position. Hargrave was only an honorable mention on the same list last year.

In Fowler's write-up, an NFL personnel evaluator described Hargave as "exactly what San Francisco needs up front".

The 49ers, though, would also greatly benefit from having a healthy Arik Armstead playing next to Hargrave on the interior.

Armstead did not make the top 10 but was listed among the others receiving votes, still getting some recognition despite being limited to nine regular-season games because of injuries.

While Armstead did not register a sack in 2022, he still led all 49ers interior defensive linemen with 30 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. For context, that was only 10 fewer than Derrick Brown of the Panthers, who played a full season and was among this year's honorable mentions.

That comparison is made not to criticize Brown, who is undoubtedly an ascending defensive tackle, but to illustrate just how talented Armstead is at rushing from the interior.

Playing a full season next to Hargrave, who racked up 66 pressures in 2022, Armstead could easily put up numbers to catapult him into the top 10 alongside his new teammate.

And it is not unrealistic to expect Armstead to play a full season after a hairline fracture in his ankle limited him last year. Before the previous campaign, Armstead had completed each of the prior four regular seasons.

Opposing offensive lines will also have the small matter of trying to stop Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa making an impact off the edge. The sheer of level talent the 49ers have up front following Hargrave's arrival will likely lead to plenty of opportunities for both him and Armstead to take advantage of being single blocked.

The numbers suggest they will each wreak havoc when presented with such chances and, after a down year for a position group that has traditionally been a strength for San Francisco, Hargrave and Armstead have the ability to quickly blossom into an interior defensive line tandem that will be feared league-wide.

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