Raiders and 49ers Have the Steals of the 2014 NFL Draft

Defense Chris Borland

Borland is by far the steal of the 2014 NFL Draft on the defensive side of the ball and has a case to be the best too. Borland is No. 10 in the NFL with 101 tackles and No. 2 among linebackers with two interceptions and he didn’t start until Week 7. When inside linebackers Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman went down early in the season, Borland’s play kept the 49ers defense in the top three.

And in the game against the Raiders, it was just another good day for Borland, who was all over the field with 14 tackles. If the 49ers don’t end up in the playoffs this year, you’d be correct to point at quarterback Colin Kaepernick because it’s not the defense. Borland has played close to if not on the same level as Willis and Bowman to keep that defense afloat.