The San Francisco 49ers have quickly gotten thin along the interior defensive front. The days of rotating in studs and first-round picks have slowly gone away, and now the team is looking to Jordan Elliott, the 19th most important lineman on the 49ers.
Most important 49ers in 2025: No. 19 Jordan Elliott
Jordan Elliott was second behind Maliek Collins in snaps played last season, and with Collins gone, it is easy to project Elliott to lead the unit in snaps this year.
The 49ers probably played it smart by investing in the draft to revamp the room. They are going to shed a lot of salary, and in a year or so, there is a chance they will start both C.J. West and Alfred Collins next to each other to form a strong duo. In the short term, these are two rookies who slipped out of round one because they may not make significant impacts right away.
This is going to put a lot on the plate of Elliott, who had zero sacks last season and had five sacks over his five-season career. This is now his second year with the 49ers after an inspiring start with the Cleveland Browns and new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh shouldk know how to get the most out of Elliott.
However, hinging on Elliott to be a game changer on this front is a tough question. He is obviously starter caliber and will be one of the leaders in snaps on the defensive front. However, he cannot get higher than 19 because the team knows that he is only starting because they could not replace him quite yet.
-(1)-1750304649-q80.webp "Seventeen Packers Revenge Games, Including vs. Jaire Alexander, Ravens")
