SANTA CLARA – The most questionable aspect of Arik Armstead’s resume as the 49ers' first-round draft pick is the low number of sacks he produced during his career at Oregon.
In three seasons, Armstead recorded four quarterback sacks.
General manager Trent Baalke explained Thursday night that Armstead’s lack of statistics is something that is not unique for someone who lines up in the 4-technique. The position calls for the defensive lineman to line up face-to-face over an offensive tackle and often maintain two-gap responsibilities in the run game.
“If you go back and look through some of the guys that have been picked to play that technique and the way they play it in college, to have one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half sacks in a season isn’t unspeakable,” Baalke said.