San Francisco 49ers

49ers LB Lynch emerging as disruptive force in second season

Published Oct. 9, 2015 12:05 a.m. ET

foxsports

Not much has gone right for the San Francisco 49ers since a season-opening victory over Minnesota.

One of the bright spots, though, has been the play of second-year linebacker Aaron Lynch, who is coming off his best game of the young season in last week's 17-3 home loss to the Green Bay Packers.

#49ers DC Eric Mangini on Aaron Lynch: "Aaron is a good player. He's really talented. Tough. Smart. Has a high motor."
— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) October 8, 2015

Lynch took down Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice in the game, giving him nine sacks for his brief career - all coming in the last 14 games. The second-year University of South Florida product has seven tackles for losses in four games to rank third in the league behind Houston's J.J. Watt and St. Louis' Aaron Donald.

“Aaron’s a good player. He’s really talented, he’s smart, he’s tough and he’s got a high motor,” 49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini told the team's official website. “I’ve liked him, though, since last season. And he and I’ve talked a lot about it. As he experiences things and understands how the defense works together, he’s got a great upside.”