Drake Jackson leads the way 49ers pass rush enjoys a successful hunt against the Steelers
The 49ers pass rush bullied the Steelers' offensive line in Week 1, but it wasn't Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa leading the way after signing a record-setting contract extension, instead it was second-year rusher Drake Jackson. San Francisco is hopeful Jackson will take a leap after he faded down the stretch of his […]
The 49ers pass rush bullied the Steelers' offensive line in Week 1, but it wasn't Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa leading the way after signing a record-setting contract extension, instead it was second-year rusher Drake Jackson.
San Francisco is hopeful Jackson will take a leap after he faded down the stretch of his rookie season and, while the jump will need to encompass more than one game, his three-sack performance in the season opener represented a significant step forward for the former second-round pick.
Per NextGen Stats, Jackson accounted for five of the 49ers' 30 pressures against Pittsburgh. That was a team-high tied only by Javon Hargrave, the defensive tackle who marked an impressive Niners debut against his former team with a sack.
Bosa may have been quiet by his standards, but he still finished with three pressures, as did Arik Armstead, Clelin Ferrell and Javon Kinlaw in a demonstration of the depth the 49ers have at their disposal up front. Veteran Kerry Hyder Jr. and edge rusher Austin Bryant had two apiece and Kevin Givens recorded one.
Speaking to 49ers.com after the game, Jackson was asked about his first sack, on which he chased down Kenny Pickett after an initial pressure by the excellent Armstead.
"We’re always hunting. I’ve got a hunter’s mentality," Jackson said. "If I see somebody hunting I gotta go get em. I seen him breaking out, I wanted to get him down before he could throw a pass or go scramble."
That hunter's mentality is present throughout the 49er defense, but for Jackson his Week 1 success was a consequence of a marriage between his mindset and the benefits of the changes to his body he made in the offseason following a disappointing end to year one.
"I want to say one of the biggest things is my body," Jackson said of the biggest change between this year and 2022.
"I changed my body in the offseason, trying to get bigger, lift more weights and get my weight up, focus on my body in general. That’s probably what it is."
Jackson saw his offseason effort make an immediate and substantial difference and Bosa is expecting the former USC Trojan to continue to have a huge influence as the season goes on.
"I was watching tape throughout the holdout and, I mean, it was clear as day that he’s made strides in his work ethic and preparation and all his moves out there," Bosa said.
"He’s really been detailed and put on some weight and he still moves like he moves. He can be dangerous."
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