San Francisco 49ers: The good, bad, and ugly in week one loss to the Vikings

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – SEPTEMBER 09: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings is sacked with the ball by DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Good: DeForest Buckner

After taking DeForest Buckner seventh overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, the 49ers have been waiting on him to develop into the sort of talent who justifies such a high overall pick. With just nine sacks over his two seasons, he really hasn’t come close.

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But, with a new coaching regime, comes new life. The thought was that the Chip Kelly regime, who didn’t really place a premium on playing sound fundamental defense, and it showed. Though Buckner racked up six sacks in 2016, he wasn’t quite the disruptive force the organization envisioned him to be when they took him seventh overall.

With defensive coordinator Robert Saleh running things, they’ve started trying to get Buckner more involved. They’re doing a better job of unleashing him, and letting him get after the quarterback. Saleh seems better suited to taking advantage of his size, power, and quickness off the line than Chip Kelly and his staff did in 2016 – or that even Saleh did last year.

You can’t argue with the results to this point. After one game, Buckner has already nearly equaled his 2017 sack total, tallying two and a half sacks of Cousins today.

Buckner needs some help, but so far, he’s making the most of his opportunity, and could finally be starting to turn a corner. In his third season in the league, Buckner may finally be starting to live up to his billing as a first-round pick.