Nick Bosa, who received my vote for first-team All-Pro last season, is a beast. In 35 career games, he’s compiled 24.5 sacks, including 15.5 in 2021, good for fourth in the NFL. He anchors a superb front seven, which welcomes Arik Armstead back into the fold after he missed time with a knee injury in camp. (And watch out for Javon Kinlaw, whom head coach Kyle Shanahan says “seems more like himself” after having ACL surgery last fall.) Fred Warner is a special player, earning the fourth-best defensive grade from Pro Football Focus among linebackers last season . He’s led the team in tackles in each of his four pro seasons thus far, surpassed in that category by only three players (Bobby Wagner, Shaquille Leonard and Roquan Smith) since he joined the NFL in 2018. And Charvarius Ward joins a defensive backfield that helped San Francisco rank sixth in passing yards allowed last season. In short, the core is legit.
DeMeco Ryans picked up the defensive coordinator torch last season when Robert Saleh left to coach the Jets, and the brilliant Ryans didn’t miss a beat, pushing the defense to its third consecutive top-five finish in yards allowed. When you combine the talent on the field with Ryans’ smarts, you have a potent combo worthy of the No. 1 position here.