The 49ers defensive line has dominated through three weeks of the 2023 NFL season

• Nick Bosa is one of the best: Bosa's 93.9 overall grade leads all edge defenders through three weeks.

• Javon Hargrave making an immediate impact: Hargrave has earned a 90.6 PFF grade through three weeks, the fourth-best mark at the position. He's recorded  13 pressures across 102 pass-rush snaps so far.

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a successful 2022 campaign, quickly thrusting their defense into the conversation for one of the best in the league. Then-defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans proved to be a dominant playcaller and a priority head coaching candidate, and the combination of Ryans and players such as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa made the Niners defense a must-watch unit every week.

Nick Bosa ended his 2022 campaign with a 90.6 PFF grade and finished second to only Micah Parsons in total pressures, ultimately taking home Defensive Player of the Year honors. But outside of Bosa, the defensive line seemed to lack depth. Charles Omenihu (75.6 pass-rush grade) and Samson Ebukam (65.3) were solid albeit unspectacular, but outside of Bosa, nobody on the defensive line was able to eclipse a 15.0% pass-rush win rate.

Arik Armstead led the way along the interior with 30 pressures over the year including the playoffs, but his 65.0 pass-rush grade tied a career-low while his 11.4% pass-rush win rate ranked just 22nd at his position. Javon Kinlaw was still struggling to develop and finished the campaign with a 31.9 PFF grade. Kevin Givens was third among the group in pressures with 15, but his 7.3% pass-rush win rate ranked 67th. 

The 49ers just needed a little more juice at the position. And that need became magnified when Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam departed in free agency. 

49ers defensive linemen: PFF grade and rank in 2022 (postseason included)

After hiring former Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks to be the defensive coordinator, the 49ers signed free-agent interior defender Javon Hargrave, who ended the 2022 season with the third-highest pass-rush grade among interior defensive linemen (91.1).

Fast forward to Week 3 of the 2023 season, and that signing is already paying massive dividends. The 49ers have the highest pass-rushing grade in the league by almost three grading points. Bosa and Hargrave look like the dominant players they’ve always been. Javon Kinlaw has already surpassed his 2022 pressure total, and Arik Armstead is the fourth-highest-graded defender on the team. Second-year edge rusher Drake Jackson is also developing into a nice depth piece and already has three sacks on the year. 

49ers defensive linemen: PFF grade and rank in 2023 (Week 1 – Week 3)

Last year, the 49ers blitzed 19.7% of the time, and that has taken a slight jump to 23.3% under Steve Wilks. The amount of stunts that the 49ers run has also seen a 1.3 percentage point uptick compared to last year. But while Wilks has been more aggressive, the talent and depth throughout the defensive line is starting to take over.

With three edge rushers racking up five-plus pressures (Nick Bosa, Drake Jackson, Clelin Ferrell) and three interior defenders with nine-plus pressures (Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw), the 49ers have a chance to end up with the best defensive line in football.