Presenting the most overrated 49ers player that Arizona Cardinals have to face

Despite their up-and-down seasons, there’s one player on the San Francisco 49ers that gets too much credit.

When the Arizona Cardinals play the 49ers, it’s always a grudge match. Rarely do you see blowouts anymore between the two teams, with each team trading punch for punch.

There are a lot of talented players for the 49ers, but if there’s one that stands out as overrated, I think I’ve found the one:

Arik Armstead was selected as the 49er’s first-round draft pick back in 2015 out of Oregon. He appeared in all 16 games during his rookie season but then struggled with injuries the following two years (2016 to 2017).

Armstead’s most successful season came in 2019 when the 49ers made it all the way to Super Bowl LIV. Armstead exploded for ten sacks on the season, a feat he hasn’t matched since. While his tackles have remained pretty

Arik Armstead is the most overrated 49er the Arizona Cardinals have to face

For a defensive end, the expectation for sacks is much higher than that of an interior defensive lineman. Given Armstead’s first-round status, this pick has not worked out well for the 49ers (at least from a Cardinals-colored lens).

With Nick Bosa on the same line, one would think Armstead would have much more production right now. But, of course, you don’t have to have numbers jumping off the stat sheet to have an impact on games.

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But Armstead can’t even get to the quarterback to cause disruptions. Looking at his advanced stats on Pro Football Reference, Armstead has only generated 16 quarterback “hurries” and 13 quarterback knockdowns.

It’s hard to understand why Armstead gets the credit that he does, especially after taking 80th place on Pete Prisco’s Top 100 list. Ever since the 49ers traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, Armstead hasn’t shown anything that he can be a solid replacement.

For the record, six sacks from a first-round pick that’s been in the league for seven years is not a glimpse of hope. Instead, the 49ers traded the wrong guy.