Predicting one breakout candidate for the 49ers in 2023
The San Francisco 49ers are in need of a replacement on the defensive line after losing Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam in free agency.Sure, they added Javon Hargrave, but he is only one guy. Because of that though, there are more opportunities for other players to step up.Actually, one guy who played a bit last […]
The San Francisco 49ers are in need of a replacement on the defensive line after losing Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam in free agency.
Sure, they added Javon Hargrave, but he is only one guy. Because of that though, there are more opportunities for other players to step up.
Actually, one guy who played a bit last year but was behind both of those players has a chance to have a breakout season. I'd even go as far as to say there is a chance he can make the Pro Bowl in 2023.
Drake Jackson is in line for a breakout season
Jackson has all the tools to have a breakout season, even if he did hit the rookie wall last year.
“I think Drake showed a lot this year on what he can be, but he needs to get to what he can be,” Kyle Shanahan told reporters at his end-of-season presser. “I thought he was closer to that earlier in the year. It was a long season and I think he learned as a year goes, if you lose any power in this league, it gets a lot harder. And we had a decent group of rushers and I think as the year went out and towards the end, it got too long for him, and his body wasn’t quite ready for what we needed.”
Shanahan saw what he did last season. He was a guy that was doing a little bit of everything. He had three sacks, three tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits over the course of his 315 defensive snaps. Oh, and eight pass deflections.
It's safe to say he was doing a little bit of everything, even as the third guy in that rotation. Just from reviewing some of his 2022 film, he was better when his hand was in the dirt on the edge of the defensive line.
His strength, agility, and quickness are why he is better as an edge rusher than he would be a little bit more inside head up on the tackle or even tight end. Giving him that space and time to make a move on the tackle is what will end up helping him.
Oh, and let's not forget about Nick Bosa on the other side. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year is a guy that demands attention, and double teams. That will obviously make things easier for Jackson.
If there is one thing he needs to work on, it's formulating different pass-rush moves when he gets to the tackle, or even guard. Often times when he gets there, he kind of just pushes his opponent with his hands. A speed rip, speed chop, swim move, spin, fake spin, stab, anything would help his game go to the next level.
Jackson could also improve on his block-shedding in the run game. He didn't play many run snaps, only 86 total snaps, but when he did he would sometimes get blocked by tight ends, which just can't happen.
He has the ability to do all of those, but he doesn't do it consistently. I expect to see a difference in that come OTAs and training camp.
The 49ers have a way of spitting out great defenders, where every time one leaves, another comes into the scene and is great. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek is a big reason why, and guess what, he still works for the team. Jackson can be the latest product of that, as I see him having a breakout season in 2023.
