DE Arik Armstead to 49ers: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown
The San Francisco 49ers landed their first pick in the 2015 NFL draft—selecting Oregon defensive end Arik Armstead with the No. 17 pick.
General manager Trent Baalke traded down two spots—San Francisco initially had pick No. 15—which gave this selection a little more value. And he, at least on paper, solves a major need along the 49ers defensive line.
.png?w=256)
A number of NFL analysts had mocked Armstead to the 49ers. Some of these included ESPN's Todd McShay, MMQB's Peter King, NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN's Paul Gutierrez (h/t 49ers.com).
Based on Armstead's size alone—6'7" and 292 pounds—the pick warrants a positive consideration. Armstead is a beast of a man, and his huge physical prowess is enough to suggest that San Francisco's D-line will have a major force in the fold.
On paper, Armstead to the 49ers makes plenty of sense.
San Francisco lost defensive end Ray McDonald to a sexual assault case last year. And veteran DE Justin Smith's retirement decision remains in limbo.
But there is a negative side to Armstead's selection. According to Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, Armstead "has a ton of ability, but he didn't always play like it [at Oregon]."
While Prisco believes that Armstead can live up to his potential, it's questionable whether the former Duck lineman can break into the D-line rotation in his rookie year.
Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area describes further:
"Has a great frame but needs to bulk up. He has a lot of room to grow, but he is definitely a project. He is not quick off the line of scrimmage and has a tendency to play too high. ...He might have a difficult time breaking into the rotation as a rookie because he is so raw.
"
Armstead's collegiate numbers were not particularly inspiring, especially from a pass-rushing perspective. He finished with just 3.5 sacks in his final two years at Oregon and only 10.5 tackles for a loss during his three-year term.
| 2012 | 11 | 26 | 2.0 | 0.5 |
| 2013 | 6 | 15 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
| 2014 | 25 | 46 | 5.5 | 2.5 |
| Total | 42 | 87 | 10.5 | 4.0 |
But if there is a positive side to Armstead's selection, it's the fact that head coach Jim Tomsula will not be forced to press him into service right away. Even if Smith retires, the 49ers still have D-linemen Darnell Dockett, Tank Carradine, Tony Jerod-Eddie, Quinton Dial, Ian Williams and Kaleb Ramsey on the roster. There are options.
A plausible solution would be to rotate Armstead into the line while the majority of veterans receive the bulk of snaps. 2015 may be the year in which Carradine emerges as the featured end, which would take some of the pressure off Armstead to develop quickly.
At best, Armstead develops into a player like Smith. Smith made himself known by locking up multiple blockers and allowing the 49ers' other pass-rushers to create backfield pressure.
Armstead may not be a pass-rusher himself, but accomplishing this will turn him into something of significant value. But it might not happen in Year 1.
The biggest question will be whether San Francisco can turn him into a bona fide force along the D-line. If not, Armstead could wind up being a major bust.
San Francisco and its fans will hope for the better of the two scenarios.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. Supplemental draft information courtesy of CBS Sports.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Titans Camp Football")
