Why Gross-Matos is the key to unlocking the full potential of the 49ers defense originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers defense has taken a step back during the 2023 NFL season with defensive end Charles Omenihu departure off the radar playing a significant role in San Francisco’s regression.
Entering 2024, the 49ers Offseason Addition by Yetur Gross-Matos could be the missing ingredient to fill the huge void left by Omenihu’s unique skills.
Before quantifying the potential Gross-Matos brings For San Francisco’s defense, understanding the impact Omenihu had during his two seasons as a 49er is essential. Primarily a defensive end, Omenihu’s physical profile opened the door for some creativity in his usage, as San Francisco hit the nail on the head by kicking him inside during obvious passing situations.
Omenihu is just over 6 feet tall with an arm length of 36 inches (both classified in the 98th percentile among defensive ends), allowing him to dominate interior attackers while presenting a matchup nightmare with a physical profile that guards and centers are not accustomed to facing.
Gross-Matos is also 6 feet 2 inches tall, with an arm length of 34 7/8 that is in the 92nd percentile among defensive ends, offering similar measurables to Omenihu, creating a tempting opportunity to use the 49ers’ new addition in a similar fashion.
You can be sure defensive line coach Kris Kocurek already thought about this when explaining the advantages of Gross-Matos’ versatility, highlighting the same physical attributes that allowed Omenihu to shine in his unique role during his tenure in San Francisco.
“Yes, I really like Yetur. He’s a big guy, thick, long lower body and still has explosive features throughout his lower body,” Kocurek said. “Very instinctive player who always seems to be close to the ball. And then the versatility you mentioned, being able to play him out on three downs.
“Versatility on third down in obvious passing situations, bringing it down on guards, he’s shown the ability to do that throughout his NFL career. In two-minute situations, putting in a long body that may have the stamina, speed and distance that is lacking affects things, to close out games. All of these attributes are what brought him here.
Omenihu, like Gross-Matos, joined San Francisco with a track record of production that doesn’t exactly align with the physical traits he possesses — a welcome project for Kocurek and the 49ers defensive staff.
Gross-Matos recently told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan that Kocurek’s Proven Track Record The development of players like Omenihu played a big role in his decision to sign with San Francisco.
“[Kocurek’s] a kind of legendary coach,” Gross Matos told Chan. “I definitely wouldn’t miss the opportunity. He is great. He loves football, he loves D-line, he loves pass rush, and that’s part of the reason I came here.
“He’s developed other guys over the last few years, and as much as I wanted to be comfortable and stay in Carolina, it made a lot of sense to come here and play for him and play on this defense, in this role.”
After never having more than 32 QB pressures in his top three NFL campaigns, Omenihu burst onto the scene in 2022, recording 54 pressures and 16 QB hits, delivering one of the most important plays of San Francisco’s season with a clutch sack in the 49ers’ Wild Card victory over the Seattle Seahawks – running from, you you guessed it, the interior.
Charles Omenihu’s versatile pass rush has been invaluable for the 49ers this season
Omenihu is a 2i on the overhead side of this front, and will get home on this loop around RT and get a forced fumble that was the deciding play in this game pic.twitter.com/dvWvOsRXQJ
-Jordan Elliott (@splash_cousin) January 17, 2023
The versatility of having an edge rusher who could shoot perfectly contributed greatly to the 49ers finishing the 2022 season as the #1 NFL Defenseand his absence could be felt when San Francisco concluded 2023 in 8th place, a year later.
Omenihu is gone, now playing a key role for the two-time Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefsbut there is light at the end of the tunnel for the 49ers in the form of Gross-Matos.
At 26, Gross-Matos is entering a prime window where defensive linemen typically peak, with the opportunity to maximize his physical gifts that the Carolina Panthers have never been able to fully take advantage of in their first four seasons in the NFL.
There was a lot of turnover San Francisco defensive line since last season, and although Gross-Matos is among the new faces, his potential evokes memories of an old friend, and perhaps holds the key to unlocking the full power of the 49ers’ defense.
