The San Francisco 49ers may have improved their defensive line, but Pro Football Focus doesn’t see that improvement as substantial. And you can be optimistic and say “yet.”
Ranking all the defensive lines of the NFL, PFF’s Gordon McGuinness ranked the 49ers at 20th. In June 2025, the 49ers ranked 21st, so with Osa Odighizuwa among other things, that was just enough to move them up one spot.
The addition of Osa Odighizuwa should boost the 49ers’ pass rush after the former Dallas Cowboy earned PFF pass-rush grades above 70.0 in each of the past three seasons. A fully healthy Nick Bosa would push this group much closer to the top 10 than the bottom 10, but he is coming off a season-ending injury and also missed multiple games in 2024.
San Francisco would also benefit significantly from an immediate contribution from rookie Gracen Halton or a second-year leap from Alfred Collins.
It should be no surprise the 49ers’ NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, sit in the top 10 at first and fifth, respectively. For the curious, the Arizona Cardinals, the other NFC West Rival, who ranked 20th last year, dropped all the way to 31.
While the ranking is mindful of Nick Bosa’s recovery from a knee injury, it still seems like the 49ers could be slightly better than 20. That’s a big “if,” considering they need Mykel Williams back (and see if his second year isn’t stunted by his injury sustained last year), Alfred Collins needs to take a step up, and most importantly for the entire roster: be healthy through the season.
At the end of the day, this line needs consistency both on the roster and on play. Last year it had 20 total sacks (which is just as small as you think). Once a starter went down, things took a gigantic step backward. If the defensive line can show they are more talented than being No. 20 in the league, it may have a trickle-down effect to improving the secondary as well, since the opposing quarterback wouldn’t have time to eat their lunch in the pocket.
Do you think 20 is too low a rating for this defensive line?
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