Replacing DeForest Buckner
The 49ers have some options to fill the 810 snaps Buckner played last year. No. 14 overall pick Javon Kinlaw will carry a lion’s share of that load, but Arik Armstead, DJ Jones, Solomon Thomas and others will also get some run at Buckner’s vacated defensive tackle spot. The issue will be getting high-level production from those players. Buckner over the last two seasons plus the 2019 postseason had 119 total pressures per Pro Football Focus. He was also credited with 24 sacks. Finding the right combination of players to fill that void will be perhaps the most difficult task the 49ers coaching staff faces in 2020.