While much of the pre-draft focus has been on the positions the 49ers need to get better at, the club may also opt to bolster a strength at some point during the 2020 selection process. San Francisco has very good depth at defensive end, but that didn’t stop them from having a video meeting with North Dakota State defensive end Derrek Tuszka. He told Justin Melo of the Draft Wire that the 49ers were among a group of teams he talked to over FaceTime.
Tuszka started for three seasons on a dominant North Dakota State club that’s turned winning Football Championship Subdivision titles into a yearly tradition. He started 34 of 45 games across his last three years, and racked up 28.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss. Tuszka capped his career with 13.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss as a senior.
There’s nothing athletically that jumps out about him. He’s 6-4, 251 pounds and doesn’t have the pass rush arsenal to become a dominant edge rusher. What does stand out on tape is how often he makes his way to the football. Even when he gets stuck on a block he doesn’t quit the play.
His intensity on a snap-by-snap basis, combined with his consistent effort will make him worth a late-round pick to a team like San Francisco just looking to add depth their defensive front. If Tuszka can show an ability to set the edge in the run game against NFL tight ends and tackles, that added versatility would get him more snaps.
A high-energy player with a nose for the football would be a perfect rotational piece that the 49ers can use to maximum effectiveness late in games against tired tackles, and throughout a contest to give their defensive ends plays off. Fresh legs late in games helped the 49ers’ pass rush dominate last season, and adding players like Tuszka will give them the best chance to replicate that.
