The starting line is not expected to change from last year. Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield will man in the inside, with Andre Carter and John Engelberger on opposite ends. Mariucci feels the extra year of playing together and Carter having his rookie season behind him will boost this group to begin with. But it’s the depth chart that has really changed.

Reggie McGrew and Chike Okeafor remain as top men off the bench. McGrew has had a good off-season for a change, and Okeafor has pushed Engelberger all summer. The team added Jim Flanigan and Sean Moran to the mix, and so far Moran especially has really stuck out as a great addition. Josh Shaw is another player the 49ers have high hopes for, but he will have to recover from his knee injury before returning to the tackle position. John Schlect is in a similar situation after having a rather impressive season last year with the 49ers.

Having eight solid defensive linemen finally gives the 49ers the ability to rest their top players and still generate a solid pass rush or good run blocking. It will also allow the 49ers to send in different units for different situations (i.e. goal line, passing downs, running downs, etc).