Should San Francisco 49ers Draft Arik Armstead in 1st Round of NFL Draft?

One of the most important San Francisco 49ers drafts of recent history is just over a week away, and speculation is mounting over whom general manager Trent Baalke will take with the franchise's first-round pick.

One player who has been consistently linked with the Niners is Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead.

Armstead comes into the NFL on the back of an impressive collegiate career in which he served as one of the key players on the Oregon defensive front, winning a Pac-12 title and the Rose Bowl only for the Ducks to come up short in the national championship matchup against Ohio State in his final outing for the program.

The Sacramento native's time in the spotlight has led him to become one of the more highly rated D-linemen in the class.

Multiple mock drafts have him returning to northern California to bolster a Niners team that released Ray McDonald back in December and could lose another valuable player up front in Justin Smith—should the 14-year veteran eventually decide to call it a career before the 2015 season.

Five of NFL Media's six draft analysts have Armstead going to the 49ers at pick No. 15, as does CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco and SB Nation's Dan Kadar. I could rattle off more examples, but the point is clear: Draft experts see Armstead as a fit for a 49ers defense in need of some retooling following offseason departures.

But should Baalke, given the many other needs the 49ers have in this draft, use that first pick on Armstead? His play during his final year of college suggests that Armstead is at least worthy of consideration. 

Armstead enjoyed his best statistical year in 2014, recording 46 total tackles—25 of which were solo—with 5.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks. When you look at his raw physical attributes, there is little to suggest he will be unable to continue on that upward curve at the highest level.

A huge physical specimen who stands at 6'7" and 292 pounds, Armstead has a great build to play as a two-gap defensive end in the 3-4 system run by the 49ers. He has the upside to become the dominant lineman San Francisco will lose when Smith does decide to call it a career.

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Given his size, Armstead unsurprisingly regularly drew double-teams during his time with Oregon, and when teams elected to protect him with just one guy, it rarely ended well for that offensive lineman.

Armstead demonstrated his exceptional power and strength in the inaugural College Football Playoff, catching the eyes of many with a couple of dominant plays.

In this play in the Rose Bowl against Florida State, Armstead completely overpowers the opposing guard and gets in the face of Jameis Winston, who is forced to roll outside and throw the ball away, just as Ohio State's Cardale Jones was in the national championship.

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The knock on Armstead is that, for a man of his frame, he does not generate that same kind of pressure on a consistent basis and has no real secondary move when his power rush fails to disrupt the quarterback.

However, there is no doubting his ability to explode off the snap and use his long arms to give opposing linemen nightmares against both the pass and the run.

Consistency can be developed through meticulous and good coaching, and in San Francisco, Armstead would be heading to the perfect environment to build on the flashes of brilliance he has shown in his career.

Head coach Jim Tomsula knows how to get the best out of guys up front, having turned late-round picks and undrafted free agents into valuable players in the rotation, while his replacement in the role of defensive line coach, Scott Brown, comes into the job with 31 years of coaching experience, per James Brady of Niners Nation.

Additionally, with Darnell Dockett, Glenn Dorsey and potentially Justin Smith on the roster, Armstead would have plenty of experienced heads to learn from in his rookie year. What may well decide whether he lands with the 49ers, though, is how Baalke views the position in terms of immediate need against the other areas where San Francisco requires added depth.

Wide receiver still remains a concern despite the free-agent addition of Torrey Smith, while cornerback and inside linebacker—a position where the Niners lost both Patrick Willis and Chris Borland to retirement—are also in need of addressing. 

It can also be argued that San Francisco will have plenty of opportunities to bring in another defensive lineman in the later rounds, with the likes of Malcom Brown, Mario Edwards Jr., Eddie Goldman and Henry Anderson potentially available outside of the first round.

Yet the same can be said of the receiver class that is once again deep but features a clear drop-off in talent after the top three players—Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker. Beyond that trio, it is tough to see a wideout worthy of a relatively high first-round pick, and the Niners would likely be better served by waiting until Day 2 to boost their passing attack if they are all off the board by No. 15.

At cornerback, there are no players aside from Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters who should be considered with that pick, and it is tough to see an inside linebacker worth choosing in the first round, save for perhaps UCLA's Eric Kendricks.

Should one of the top three wideouts, two premier corners or even one of the highest-rated edge-rushers still be on the board alongside Armstead, then Baalke will have an extremely difficult decision to make.

The likes of Parker and Peters have the talent to be immediate game-changers, but it is tough to ignore the raw ability and sheer physical presence of Armstead.

San Francisco is getting old in the trenches—Justin Smith is 35, Dockett is 33 and Dorsey will turn 30 in August. Selecting Armstead would help combat that fact and give the Niners real hope for the future up front after seeing both Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine impress in 2014.

The fit and upside are there, and unless a real immediate impact player is available, the smart move for the 49ers is to bring Armstead back to his home state.

Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.