A little undersized to be a nose tackle out of college, Dial put on more weight and muscle and eventually became a two-down read-and-react player capable of both stopping the run and getting good pressure when needed.
Unfortunately, he was playing in a defense that shifted very little once it was in place, and one that was quickly figured out by opposing offenses. They were one of the worst in the league overall, and were particularly bad against the run. The 49ers allowed 2,654 yards and 25 touchdowns.
That comes out to 165.9 rushing yards allowed per game. Dial wasn’t terrible against the run by any stretch, but the scheme did him no favors. He played a two-gap position and much of his initial strength and burst was wasted in the read-and-react defensive philosophy.
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Why he might improve
Dial is still in his physical prime and the 3-4 defense was never really suited for his skillset or his size. He should take well to the one-gap scheme and should make more highlight reel-quality plays without having to worry too much about the read-and-react system.
Why he might regress
Then again, Dial has a whole lot of “be a big stopgap that doesn’t move a ton” to shake off, and this new scheme will give him the added responsibility of following centers and guards more closely on outside running plays. I think he’s well-suited for this, but it’s still a big change and it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing to see him fail to adapt to it. There’s also the fact that he’s competing with a veteran, is behind that veteran already, and has a long way to go to earn significant playing time.
ninersnation.com wrote: