The 49ers suddenly have the deepest interior pass rush in the NFL
Most expected the San Francisco 49ers' interior pass rush to improve on its dismal performance of 2022 when they signed Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal in the offseason. Whether anybody anticipated the Niners having the deepest interior pass rush in the NFL is another matter. Six games into the 2023 season, it […]
Most expected the San Francisco 49ers' interior pass rush to improve on its dismal performance of 2022 when they signed Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal in the offseason.
Whether anybody anticipated the Niners having the deepest interior pass rush in the NFL is another matter. Six games into the 2023 season, it is tough to dispute that is the case.
Hargrave has been as advertised, with the 49ers' decision to pluck him from the team to whom they lost the NFC Championship Game, the Philadelphia Eagles, quickly vindicated.
Going into Week 7, only Aaron Donald had a higher pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus among interior defensive linemen than Hargrave, with his performance in the more granular statistics similarly impressive.
Hargrave is tied fifth for total pressures (21) and is sixth in pass rush win rate among interior defenders with a minimum of 50 pass rush snaps.
It is the impact everybody anticipated from a player of his experience and caliber, but he is far from solely responsible for the weaponization of a position group that was woefully short of a pass rush threat last year, when Arik Armstead was the sole player on the interior to record 20 pressures despite only playing in nine games.
Armstead has stayed healthy and is eighth in pass rush grade and tied 12th in pass rush win rate, showing his ability to collapse the pocket at will when he gets one-on-one matchups on the inside.
Just behind him in both metrics is 2020 first-round pick Javon Kinlaw who, despite a lack of sacks, is thriving having shaken off the knee injury that has kept him off the field for large portions of his career. Kinlaw is 13th in overall pass rush grade and, in last week's loss to the Cleveland Browns, delivered a pressure that directly contributed to a Deommodore Lenoir interception.
Kinlaw is directly behind Armstead in pass rush win rate, his ratio of 14.6 percent putting him in a tie for 14th with his more under-the-radar teammate Kevin Givens.
Givens has long since served as an underrated part of the interior rotation. He was arguably asked to do too much last season as the Niners were left with scarcity of options at defensive tackle. Now playing as the fourth defensive tackle behind Hargrave and two former first-rounders, he is excelling in an ideal role and providing valuable snaps when two of the Niners' leading defensive tackle trio are off the field.
Only the Dallas Cowboys could claim to have even two interior defensive linemen in the top 15 in pass rush win rate heading into Week 7, and the 49ers may need their well-stocked interior rush to step up and carry more of the load in their primetime clash with the Minnesota Vikings.
Injuries to the 49ers' All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel could be seen as something of an equalizer in the matchup between 5-1 San Francisco and 2-4 Minnesota.
However, with the Vikings missing guard Ezra Cleveland because of a foot injury, the 49ers' interior defensive line could enjoy an extremely profitable evening and prevent the Minnesota attack from taking advantage of any struggles from San Francisco on offense.
The 49ers' deficiencies on the interior last year showed up in the NFC Championship Game last season, albeit the quarterback injuries San Francisco suffered effectively decided the outcome. This campaign, the signs are an outstanding interior pass rush will be critical in the Niners again challenging for the ultimate prize.
49ers could face “significant punishment” if Browns fight is repeated
The NFL sent a stern warning to all teams.
