San Francisco 49ers Draft Countdown: Making the Case for Malcom Brown

At a recent predraft press conference, San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said that “it doesn’t make a difference” whether Justin Smith plays next season.

“We’ve addressed the plan internally,” said Baalke. “We know what we’re going to do regardless of what he chooses to do, and feel good about that plan.”

“Is that because Smith would be a short-timer if he does come back?” a reporter asked.

“We’d love to have him back,” said Baalke. “And he is a short-timer, with respect to his career, where he’s at. But, Kaleb Ramsey—didn’t play last year, he’s coming back. Tank Carradine got more and more playing time as the season went on. Quinton Dial stepped up. Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey are back. Signed (Darnell) Dockett as a free agent. Numbers-wise, we feel very good about where we’re at.”

“Numbers-wise” is the key phrase in that quote. I doubt the Niners feel great about their defensive line talent-wise. It stands to reason they might spend a first-round pick on a defensive lineman.

Mel Kiper Jr. predicts the Niners will spend their first-round pick on former Oregon defensive end Arik Armstead. Many draft experts have made the same prediction.

The logic behind their prediction goes something like this: Armstead has the perfect body type (6’7”, 292 lbs) to play 5-technique defensive end in a 3-4 defense, which the 49ers use. Therefore, Armstead can replace Justin Smith or defensive end Ray McDonald, whom the Niners released in December.

That would be sound logic if the 49ers used a traditional 3-4. They don’t. They run a hybrid 3-4 defense with a shaded front called an “Under” front. That’s a fancy way of saying Smith and McDonald played different positions.

McDonald played 5-technique. He was a traditional 3-4 defensive end. He rushed against the right tackle in the base defense, and his primary role was to stuff the run. Armstead can replace McDonald.

But he can’t replace Smith. Smith didn’t play 5-technique. He played 3-technique, basically a traditional 4-3 defensive tackle. He lined up in the B-gap (“under” the left tackle) and rushed against the left guard. And he was more than just a run-stuffer. He was a backfield penetrator and a pass-rusher too.

For more than 20 years, the 49ers have built their defense around a dominant 3-technique. Before Justin Smith, they had Bryant Young. And before him, they had Dana Stubblefield.

The 49ers do not build their defense around the 5-technique. The 5-technique doesn’t have to be dominant. He just has to be solid—a strong guy with long arms (about 34 inches) who stops the run. Players like that are available after Round 1, and the Niners already have a couple of them on their roster: Carradine and Dial.

If the 49ers draft a defensive lineman in Round 1, they probably won’t draft another 5-technique.

So, forget Armstead. Let’s look at the best 3-techniques in the draft.

Most draft experts consider former USC Trojan Leonard Williams the best defensive lineman available this year. He can play 3-technique or 5-technique. The Niners probably have to trade into the top five picks to get him.

The Niners can’t afford that move. But they don’t need to make it. They can get an elite 3-technique prospect at the No. 15 pick.

I’m talking former Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown. He is merely 20 years old—one day younger than Williams—and he is stout against the run and disruptive against the pass. Last season, Brown made 72 tackles—15 for loss—and 6.5 sacks.

Compare Brown to Williams. Williams recorded seven sacks and 80 tackles last season, but only 9.5 tackles for loss.

Brown might be more disruptive than Williams. He might be the best 3-technique in the draft. Williams might be better suited to play 5-technique—he’s a terrific run-stuffer, and he has 34 ⅝-inch arms. He has the length to defend two gaps at once in the running game.

Brown does not. His arms are only 32 ½ inches, meaning he probably can’t play 5-technique on the Niners. But he can be a Pro Bowl 3-technique.

This offseason, the Niners signed former Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. He was one of the best 3-techniques in the NFL for years, and he has 32-inch arms. He was good because he was quick and powerful, and he played low to the ground like Brown.

Dockett is not a long-term replacement for Justin Smith. Dockett might not be even a short-term replacement—he tore his ACL last August, and he turns 34 in May. Anything he contributes to the Niners is a bonus.

Brown is Justin Smith's long-term replacement. I predict the Niners will draft Brown with the 15th pick in Round 1.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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