One reason the San Francisco 49ers are 3-0 despite the worst run of injury luck in the NFL to date is an influx of young talent — aka players on cheap contracts who can do what their higher-paid counterparts do just as well.
One of those rising to the top of that list for the 49ers is rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton, who Sports Illustrated put at the top of its list of NFL rookies who have become “Impossible to Ignore” through the 1st month of the season.
“San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive lineman Gracen Halton is already playing an underrated role,” SI’s Justin Melo wrote on October 1. “He’s converted 92 snaps into nine tackles, four run stops, three quarterback pressures, and a pass breakup. Halton is disengaging around the line of scrimmage and showcasing terrific hustle and effort. He’s going to be a really good player.”
Halton was a 4th-round pick (No. 107 overall) out of Oklahoma and signed a 4-year, $5.6 million rookie contract.
Gracen Halton Turned Heads in Preseason
Halton went massively viral for a play in San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans in which he dominated offensive lineman Peter Skoronski — a former 1st-round pick and the NFL’s highest-paid guard after signing a 4-year, $100 million contract extension on August 7.
“Once I get hot, it’s over with,” Halton told ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “I win one and then next thing you know, I’m in my head like, okay, I got this. So I build that confidence and it’s over.”
Halton, 6-foot-3 and 293 pounds, used a simple bull rush to drive Skoronski, 6-foot-4 and 331 pounds, off the ball, toss him aside, and sack Titans quarterback and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
“49ers rookie DT Gracen Halton just ran through the highest-paid OG in the NFL,” SFNiners wrote on its official X account.
“The addition of Halton and Osa were exactly what SF needed on the DL,” Seahawks reporter Brian Nemhauser wrote on his official X account. “Savvy moves that were low cost for what they bring. Injuries and age are a real issue for this team, but there is a set of scenarios where the 49ers are significantly better than they were a year ago.”
Injuries Derailed 49ers’ Plans on Defensive Line
Not only did the 49ers trade for $80 million Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, but they also thought they would pair him with up-and-coming star 2nd-year defensive tackle Alfred Collins, a 6-foot-6, 332-pound monster who surprised with his ability to impact games as a rookie.
Instead, Collins suffered a season-ending injury when he tore his patellar tendon at practice before the Week 1
“Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton was a fourth-round pick and brings value both as a pass-rusher and against the run,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote on August 4. “He earned a 76.9 PFF pass-rush grade after generating 30 pressures on 259 pass-rushing snaps in 2025. He was even better against the run, earning a career-high 87.5 PFF run-defense grade in his final season at Oklahoma.”
49ers’ 6-foot-3, 293-Pound DT Tops List of ‘Impossible to Ignore’ NFL Rookies