The 49ers liked defensive end Arik Armstead enough to make him the 17th overall pick in the draft, but there were some who were less impressed by Armstead heading into the draft.
Several draft pundits criticized Armstead for giving inconsistent effort while at Oregon, which suggested that the 6-7 former basketball player wasn’t willing to work hard enough to succeed on the football field. Armstead believes the label is an incorrect one, suggesting that those offering their opinion were expecting him to make plays as an individual that weren’t what the team asked him to do.
“Football-wise, it comes from people not noticing the little things,” Armstead said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Me getting double-teamed or triple-teamed on certain plays. But those things help my team win games. I’ll sacrifice stats and things like that if I’m doing what my coaches want me to do. And if we’re winning doing that, I’m happy about it. I’ll deal with critics for that.”
Armstead says that he’s learned that you “can’t control everyone’s opinion,” but that his doubters will still provide motivation for him as he heads into his rookie year. If that motivation leads to anything but a high level of sustained effort, Armstead’s going to have a hard time thriving in the NFL.
