Two weeks into the season, Gracen Halton has gone from a Day 3 pick to the kind of rookie who starts changing the conversation around a draft class.
The 49ers took the Oklahoma defensive tackle at No. 107 in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and the early read on him from scouts was pretty straightforward: strong pass-rusher, useful disruptor, but "best suited for a rotational role in a movement-based front".
That description already feels a little too small.
Halton has flashed far more than a limited rotational piece through two games, and he’s starting to look like a real draft steal for San Francisco. Against Miami, he was all over the field, and even with the Dolphins perhaps the worst team in the NFL, the performance still mattered because of how Halton looked doing it. He and fellow rookie Romello Height helped hint at what the 49ers defensive line of the future could look like as Miami’s offensive line spent much of the day under siege.
What stands out most is how often Halton keeps winning after the snap. He sheds blocks, gets into the backfield and shows a full toolkit as both a pass rusher and a run defender. That last part is especially notable, because run defense was supposed to be the concern.
Instead, he’s shown the ability to hold up there, too. As David Lombardi put it: "The most promising part of Gracen Halton's debut is that he played so well against the run. The 49ers were OK drafting him assuming he'd be a pass-rushing tackle, but Halton plays bigger than anticipated and they think he can be a bona fide 3-down player"
Halton has also fit well next to Osa Odighizuwa in the revamped interior. Lombardi noted the impact of that pairing as well: "Gracen Halton has been an explosive pass rusher and a pleasant surprise against the run. I'll also credit the star next to him:
Through 2 weeks, Osa Odighizuwa is #2 among all NFL DTs in pass-rush productivity
Night-and-day DT difference for the 49ers"
In the 35-13 win over Miami, Halton finished with five tackles, including one tackle for loss, along with three pressures and three stops. The first sack may not be far off, and at this point he’s becoming the rookie story that stands out most for San Francisco.
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