5 players who 49ers need to be great in 2020

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

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MIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 2: Nick Bosa #97 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes the quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 2, 2020, in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

San Francisco 49ers x-factors: DE Nick Bosa

The biggest reward for the 49ers’ poor 2018 season was the second pick in the draft, which they have turned into a star defensive lineman. Nick Bosa was widely considered to be the best prospect in the 2019 draft but fell to San Francisco after Arizona opted to take Kyler Murray with the no. 1 pick.

The 49ers reaped the massive rewards from the pick when Bosa racked up nine sacks in his rookie year. Playing alongside the likes of Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, Bosa made an immediate impact and terrorized opposing quarterbacks throughout the NFL.

There will be more pressure on Bosa to step up this season after the 49ers were forced to trade Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in March. San Francisco drafted Buckner’s replacement in the first round, landing defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, but asking him to fully duplicate Buckner’s production is a tall order for a rookie.

The swap of Buckner to Kinlaw should lead to more opportunity for Bosa to produce with the trade-off of added attention from opposing defenses. Bosa has the talent to easily eclipse double-digit sacks in a given year and the 49ers need him to dip into that potential this season.