Sourdough Sam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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“I think he would be,” general manager John Lynch said on Thursday during an appearance on 49ers Live. “He has some qualities. I’ll put his first step right off the line of scrimmage – his get off – up there with anybody in the league. And that excites us.”
The 49ers are hopeful Ford can replicate his dominant 2018 season. Adding the edge threat should complement San Francisco’s series of first-round interior rushers in DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas.
“When you start pulling tackles off the guys we have inside, now all of a sudden they can’t be so inclined to say ‘you’ve got to watch 99 (Buckner), you’ve got to watch 94 (Thomas), you’ve got to watch 91 (Armstead),’” Lynch explained. “Now they’re going to have to say ‘55 is out here and we’re going to have to fly out to get him.’ You start to provide that collectively we want to be a dominant group up front. We’re starting to have the makings of that. Now they’ve got to go do that. And they’re fully aware of that.”
There’s still much to prove before Ford enters the conversation with the likes of Miller, Donald and the rest of a lean list of pass rushers who rightfully claim the label of “elite.” But as of now, the 49ers believe in Ford’s trajectory and potential.
“We studied all kinds of different players. Dee is the guy we want,” Lynch added. “He’s got some rare qualities that we think will blend real well to any team, but our team specifically.”