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The 49ers announced Wednesday the signing of a five-year extension of defensive lineman Dee Ford after acquiring it in a Kansas City Chiefs exchange against a second-round pick in 2020.
Repeat, the 49ers have announced the signing of defensive line player Dee Ford.
During his five seasons in Kansas City, Ford was an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. All indications are Ford will be the "leo" in the 49ers 4-3 defensive lineup.
His job: get after the quarterback.
Ford did its job exceptionally well last season, registering 13 sacks and forcing seven fumbles. Apart from defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the 49ers ran out of speed. The 49ers, as a team, have generated only seven points to remember from the season – the worst mark in the history of the National Football League.
Coach Kyle Shanahan hired Robert Saleh to set up a Seattle style defense with the 49ers. It's a 4-3 defense with basically 3-4 people. Leo's position is based on the location used by George Seifert with the 49ers in the 80s and 90s for elephants.
Ford adapts the size-weight prototype to play the leo position. The 49ers had little consistency in this position in the first two seasons, with Saleh playing the role of defensive coordinator. Last year, Solomon Thomas started most of the time at Leo, but he left the field after losing passes or went on the defensive attack in difficult situations.
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It is likely that Ford will be considered a complete leo – the missing pass to the 49 players since the departure of Aldon Smith.
Here's how Ford's size and weight compare to a list of players named in 2017 by Saleh as prototypical attackers at leading positions:
Dee Ford 6 feet 2 inches, 252 pounds
Chris Clemons 6-3, 260
Cliff April 6-3, 260
Yannick Ngakoue 6-2, 246
Dante Fowler 6-3, 255
Vic Beasley 6-3, 246
Von Miller 6-3, 250
Khalil Mack 6-3, 252
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