Prior to this season, the professional career of San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead has been polarizing, to say the least. A majority of Niners fans, including me, was fuming when San Francisco drafted Armstead in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, especially when two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs right after.
Armstead actually put together a solid rookie season and made the most out of the limited number of snaps that then-defensive coordinator Eric Mangini gave him, earning a strong 78.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in his first year in the league.