There’s a reason why the 49ers were eager to sign Anderson.
There are two types of free agents: undrafted and priority undrafted. Evan Anderson represents the second type.
The 49ers did not choose Anderson, but they really wanted him, so they offered him a $30,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $250,000 of his base pay, ensuring he will at least make the practice squad this year. The 49ers may potentially promote him to the 53-man roster before the season finishes. There’s a reason why the 49ers were eager to sign Anderson. He’s not like the 49ers’ other defensive tackles. Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins are interior pass rushers weighing around 300 pounds each.
Anderson, a run plugger, weights 326 pounds. And the 49ers struggled to stop the run last season, so they require someone like Anderson. Furthermore, the 49ers lost Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, their two greatest run defenders at defensive tackle. To address the vacuum they left, the 49ers signed Jordan Elliott, who is good against the run but isn’t enough. And he is a short-term solution who may not be on the squad next year. The 49ers require a young run defender to develop.
Anderson played four years at Florida Atlantic and recorded only seven sacks, therefore he is not a pass rusher. And that’s probably why he wasn’t picked; teams place a premium on pass rushers because the NFL
Passing league.
However, run defense is still important, and teams can find strong run defenders as UDFAs if they know what to look for.
Leave a Reply