Pro Football Focus ranks defensive tackle DeForest Buckner the best defensive player for the San Francisco 49ers over 16 games this season.
Right behind him, ranked No. 2, is fellow defensive tackle Arik Armstead.
Armstead is having the best year of his young career after injuries derailed his 2016 and 2017 campaigns, logging 46 tackles and 3.0 sacks — both career highs — and emerging as a legitimate big-end 5-technique run stopper for San Francisco’s defense.
The Niners already picked up the 2015 first-round pick’s fifth-year option, and the $9.