Feb 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead talks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers had some losses on the defensive line this offseason and want to keep that defense strong. So they selected defensive lineman Arik Armstead with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Elk Grove, California native is a beast and has just as much talent as top defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
The only difference between Williams and Armstead is Williams is a little more polished of the two. And that’s because Armstead only focused just on football for one year in college as he was a basketball player as well. But at 6’7″, 290 pounds with long arms, he will get that much better as he continues to focus on football.
He improved by leaps and bounds from 2013 to 2014 because of his focus on just football. His ellite size, explosion upfield into blockers and good arm extension to control offensive linemen with those long arms has him ready to go now. But he has so much upside and his continued improvement will have him in the conversation for most dominant defensive lineman.