49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is leading the push toward non-traditional, ‘position-less’ offenses. At the forefront of that drive are players like wide receiver Deebo Samuel, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the entire group of running backs and most notably, tight end George Kittle. San Francisco’s offensive philosophy is starting to impact how defenses are built, and increasing the draft stock of some defensive players.
As recently as five years ago, Clemson defensive prospect Isaiah Simmons might’ve gotten knocked for not having one dominant position. Now he’s working his way into consideration for a top-five pick because of his positional malleability, and he credits players like Kittle for his rise.
“If you know who George Kittle and Travis Kelce are, then that explains it all,” Simmons said at the NFL combine via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Stopping tight ends, and linebackers playing man (coverage) on running backs.”
He went on to note that versatility on defense is becoming just as important as it is on the other side of the ball.
“The game is no longer a 250-pound linebacker,” Simmons said. “It’s more guys that are able to run side to side and are able to cover. It’s just a necessity now with the tight ends and running backs.”
Part of the 49ers’ defensive dominance last year was their athletic linebacking corps that could do all the things Simmons listed. The Clemson star is working out as a linebacker at the combine and measured in at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, but. it wouldn’t be a surprise to see teams use him as a Swiss Army knife on defense to help combat offense like Shanahan’s that exploit matchups by getting athletes like Kittle, Tevin Coleman or Raheem Mostert matched up on linebackers in space. Simmons’ athleticism may make him impervious to those mismatches in a way Warner, Kwon Alexander, and Dre Greenlaw were this season for San Francisco.
The 49ers aren’t the only team to create and exploit mismatches on offense. That’s been the goal of offense since the beginning of football. However, their use of multifaceted skill sets on offense makes them tougher to defend since the usual tendencies of teams and formations go out the window.
For example, San Francisco ran 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, two wide receivers) 33 percent of the time according to Sharp Football Stats’ personnel grouping frequency. The league average was 9 percent. The 49ers can do this with success because of players like Kittle who can do everything on offense and allow Shanahan to stay away from specific trends in any one personnel grouping.
A player like Simmons helps thwart what coaches like Shanahan are doing on offense. In years past he might’ve been pigeonholed as an off-ball linebacker, or even a big safety, but the ability to mix positions to confuse offenses while covering running backs and the league’s dominant tight ends now makes Simmons one of the most valuable players in the draft.
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