Ever since he was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in Round 5 of the 2013 NFL Draft, defensive tackle Quinton Dial has quietly been one of the unsung heroes of the Niners defense.
Dial, just 26 years old, finally started to have an impact his second season. And by 2015, he was a regular starter and has held down defensive line duties ever since.
In 2016, Pro Football Focus gave Dial a 68.2 overall grade — not particularly great but second best among San Francisco interior defenders behind second-year pro DeForest Buckner (77.2).
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Injuries also held Dial to just 14 games last season, but he still managed to register 24 tackles on the year.