Exercising a fifth-year option on a former first-round NFL Draft pick should come with an asterisk, as a team can part ways with that player after picking up the option, as long as there’s no injury involved and it’s before the start of the league new year.
So the San Francisco 49ers have a decision to make with their 2015 first-round pick, defensive tackle Arik Armstead.
Armstead, who was grabbed at No. 17 overall that year, hasn’t quite lived up to the status of being a top-tier first rounder. Injuries and three different defensive schemes over his first four years at the pro level certainly hindered his development.