SANTA CLARA -- Javon Hargrave is determined to improve his performance in 2024, and it's a safe bet the two-time Pro Bowler will make good on that pledge and take a substantial leap in his second season with the 49ers.
Hargrave recently detailed the difficulty acclimating to San Francisco's aggressive defensive-line scheme, with the challenge further amplified due to the limited number of NFL teams adopting a similar philosophy with their own fronts.
Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, revered for the "Wide 9" front that the 49ers have deployed since his arrival in 2019, detailed the adjustment period veterans like Hargrave face when joining San Francisco's D-line, explaining the early hurdles typically come from being fully immersed in a scheme that has an all-out attack mentality.
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"Generally, the way we attack and play, there's only a couple teams in the NFL that really truly do it the way we do it," Kocurek said. "All defensive linemen, you say, 'Hey we play an attack scheme.' They get bright-eyed. 'Yeah, that sounds great! Yeah, I want to attack, I've been reading these blocks.' Once you truly get here and get into it, it's like, 'Oh, I didn't realize you wanted me to attack this much.' "
Kocurek broke down how some of the greatest challenges come at a fundamental level, citing the difficulty of altering technique and muscle memory for players who don't have previous experience playing in a similar scheme.
"Just getting used to the techniques, the stance is a little bit different, the aiming points are a little bit different," Kocurek said. "We play a little bit on different angles with our width when we get down on our alignments.
"All that stuff, trying to stack it and really becoming muscle memory for the guys over time. So there is an adjustment period that, unless you've played in this scheme before, you have to go through to work through and make mistakes doing it, learn from the mistakes and improve upon the mistakes. I feel like right now, the second year, you really see guys take a big jump."
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Former 49ers defensive linemen Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam are prime examples of the success that comes after adapting to the rigorous demands of playing in Kocurek's scheme, with both having improved production in their second campaign in San Francisco.
Kocurek confidently stated there are signs early in training camp that point to Hargrave being the next player to take the aforementioned second-year leap in his system.
"You can see it in Javon's play right now," Kocurek said. "He has hit the ground running, you can see that he's a lot more comfortable going into Year 2 than he was in Year 1 within the scheme, so I'm excited about him."
While Hargrave himself concedes there is room to get better entering 2024, he still was very much an above-average player and a key cog in San Francisco's dominance last season.
Obviously, there's more to playing defensive line than just getting after the quarterback, but that's primarily what Hargrave was brought to the 49ers to do, and he's done it well despite the learning curve that comes with integrating into San Francisco's scheme.
Hargrave logged 52 QB pressures in 16 regular-season games during the 2023 season -- just five fewer than the 57 he logged in 2022 for the Philadelphia Eagles, per Pro Football Focus.
Hargrave's sack numbers decreasing is the most glaring falloff in production, failing to reach double digits with the 49ers after logging 11 in his final season with the Eagles.
The perception of Hargrave often doesn't line up with his numbers from last season, as the 31-year-old recorded multiple pressures in 18 of the 19 games he appeared in, with the lone exception being a meaningless Week 18 contest where he only played 11 snaps after San Francisco already secured the NFC's No. 1 seed.
He was consistent in the playoffs as well, logging three pressures in each of the 49ers' NFC playoff wins over the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Hargrave then followed up with a six-pressure performance in Super Bowl LVIII. The veteran defensive lineman has appeared in seven playoff games over the last three seasons, and has multiple pressures in every single one of them.
As Hargrave seeks to turn a corner this season, the key remains within the day-to-day details that come from having time and experience in the system. Hargrave is ready to take that leap, and San Francisco's defense stands to benefit tremendously from an improved season from one of its most important contributors.
“For me, from this year to last year, I know that it is hard playing in this system, but basically once you get it, you kind of get it,” Hargrave said.
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