Examining the San Francisco 49ers DL Depth, How Draft Pick Kalia Davis Can Impact the Defense

With defensive line issues like Arden Key and D.J. Jones moving on from the 49ers, Kalia Davis has an opportunity to make an immediate impact in San Francisco.

Brian Smith | May 1, 2022

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SAN FRANCISCO - Defining the 49ers ability to rush the passer and create negative plays from the players along the defensive line leaves many things to question. Defensive end Arden Key signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a one-year deal for $4 million dollars. He takes with him 6.5 sacks from the 2021 season, as well as five tackles for loss and 38 total tackles. Losing the edge defender is not all that the San Francisco defense lost up front.

There’s also the loss of D.J. Jones, an interior player that accounted for two sacks, 10 tackles for loss and a total of 56 tackles. Jones signed a three-year, $30 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos. That’s two talented players and a good chunk of the 49ers’ production. With that point in mind, what does San Francisco bring back that’s pivotal to the team’s long-term success?

Nick Bosa Defensive Tackle San Francisco 49ers — The San Francisco defense starts up front with Nick Bosa at defensive end, a player that deserves to be considered one of the best overall players in the world / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

It starts with Nick Bosa at defensive end. The soon to be fourth-year NFL player has been dominant. He produced 15.5 sacks in 2021, which ranked No. 4 in the NFL last year behind only OLB T.J. Watt of Pittsburgh (22.5), DE Robert Quinn of Chicago (18.5), and OLB/DE Myles Garrett of Cleveland (16). With Bosa on the edge, the 49ers have a playmaker; they also have a player that needs at least one more bona fide stud to keep from being consistently double teamed. If nothing else, a rotation of good defensive linemen that can keep opposing teams from doubling Bosa on every key passing play.

Arik Armstead is a consistent performer at defensive tackle. The incredibly gifted 6’7”, 290-pound frame of Armstead is one that produced six sacks and seven tackles for loss last season, but he’s not truly a natural pass rusher nor is he likely to take the lion’s share of double teams. Next to Armstead, there’s a question.

Arik Armstead of the San Francisco 49ers sacks the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers — Arik Armstead is not always a great pass rusher, but he is certainly capable as Aaron Rodgers of the Packers can testify :: Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

After playing in just four games during the 2021 season because of a knee injury he suffered, Javon Kinlaw is a player that's hard to project for the 2022 season. He did not produce a sack or tackle for loss prior to his season-ending injury. The 49ers are hopeful he can be a mainstay this next season, but will he truly be back and ready to roll? Even if yes, what can Kinlaw be expected to produce in the always critical trenches of the NFL?

Here are the sack and tackle for loss statistics of other potential key contributors at defensive tackle:

Hassan Ridgeway (Philadelphia) - Two sacks and one tackle for loss.

Kevin Givens - One sack and no tackles for loss.

Maurice Hurst - No sacks and one tackle for loss.

Note: The projected reserve defensive tackles, plus Kinlaw, were not productive last season with a total of three sacks and just two tackles for loss. That’s a concern for helping Bosa.

Then, the same statistics for other defensive ends:

Dee Ford - (only played in seven combined games in 2020/2021), three sacks and two tackles for loss.

Drake Jackson - Drafted by the 49ers with the 61st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Southern California, Jackson had five sacks and eight tackles for loss in 2021 for the Trojans.

Kerry Hyder, Jr. (Seattle) - 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

Jordan Willis - Three sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Needless to say, San Francisco needs new blood in the rotation to help produce more game-changing defensive plays. Jackson is definitely intriguing. He’s not, however, a proven NFL commodity. Hopefully he’s able to provide immediate help in San Francisco. Even if other reserves step up (Jackson included), it's hard to define which defensive end that would be.

Another defensive end that could spell Bosa would be a reserve like Samson Ebukam. He’s a good player, but he’s only produced 4.5 sacks in each of the past three seasons, and he produced just five tackles for loss last season. Nice rotational player for sure, but that’s where a player like now former UCF player Kalia Davis comes into play.

He’s a quick and determined one-gap defensive tackle that's a penetrator. He plays with the proverbial high motor defensive coordinators covet. Davis is at roughly 300-pounds, and he’s likely to reshape his body in the coming months before jogging onto the gridiron for the first time as a member of the 49ers. San Francisco drafted Davis with the 220th pick, in the sixth round, of the 2022 NFL Draft. Here’s a piece written about Davis just prior to the 49ers selecting him:

Here’s Why NFL Teams Should Draft UCF DT Kalia Davis

With Davis, there’s no real thought of him just walking in the door and dominating. That’s not a realistic expectation for many college players. He’s a developing player with a high ceiling. If he stays healthy, watch out. Most notably, this young man creates havoc.

Last season, Davis played in just five games because of injury. During that time, he had one sack and five tackles for loss. So, why the thought of Davis helping the 49ers next season and beyond?

Kalia Davis provides the quickness to be a DT that gets into the backfield and creates negative plays / UCF Athletics

Watching him live in 2021, very few interior offensive linemen could stay in front of Davis during obvious pass situations. That’s why he was double teamed and/or chipped with a running back or tight end quite often. The double teams and being chipped hindered his statistics, but it also opened the opportunity for other members of the UCF defense to be one-on-one. That fact, in of itself, is what San Francisco needs. That frees up Bosa to make plays, among other 49ers along the defensive front wall.

Davis gives San Francisco a player that can make inroads on the depth chart, especially during passing situations. That will also help to keep Armstead and other defensive tackles fresh. Splitting up the reps is a huge factor for not only making plays on the gridiron, but keeping players fresh also reduces the risk of injury while players continue to play tired. The latter is a prime way many players succumb to injuries, especially with muscle tears, pulls, etc.

Overall, it might take a while for Davis to break into the 49ers rotation, but he can be a really key piece, long term, for the San Francisco defensive line. Who knows, Davis could even eventually make an impact this fall even if it's during just a few different games. He certainly has the playing style that fits what the 49ers need.