Arik Armstead excited for Dion Jordan to join him on 49ers' D-line

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Before there were Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, there was Dion Jordan.

Jordan was a standout defensive lineman at Oregon, who became a first-round draft pick -- the No. 3 overall pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2013 draft.

Jordan has not lived up to those NFL expectations due to suspensions and injuries. But he will get another chance this season with the 49ers after signing a one-year contract with the club last week. He has 10.5 career sacks. The 49ers will be his fourth NFL team.

Jordan, 30, will have the opportunity this summer to win a spot as a backup on the 49ers’ defensive line behind edge rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford.

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After an offseason that saw Buckner get traded to the Indianapolis Colts, Armstead said he is looking forward to playing with another of his college teammates.

“Man, it’s great,” Armstead said Monday on a video call with Bay Area reporters. “Dion was a guy I looked up to and have for a long time, especially in college, being a freshman and he was a senior, you know, big man on campus. And I always appreciated him for sticking up for me and not being one of those seniors who talk down to freshmen and try to haze freshmen.”

Jordan was a four-year player at Oregon, where he registered 7.5 sacks as a junior and five sacks as a senior. Armstead was a role player as a freshman with a half-sack. Armstead declared for the draft following his junior season. The 49ers selected Armstead with the No. 17 pick in the 2015 draft.

“Dion was always my big homie,” Armstead said. “I loved playing with him in college and being able to learn from him. He played at a high level and set a standard for us in college and something to achieve and dream and dream of achieving one day, which was playing well at Oregon and then being a top draft pick.”

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One year after Armstead entered the NFL, Buckner was the No. 7 overall pick of the 49ers. Armstead credits Jordan with leading the way.

“He kind of paved the way for me and DeFo and we knew someone who did it at a high level, so it was amazing to follow those next couple of years and try to do the same thing he did,” Armstead said.

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