First round 17th overall pick, defensive lineman Arik Armstead from the Oregon Ducks
May 2, 2015
NinersNation.com
Former Oregon Duck Arik Armstead poses at a press conference in San Francisco after being drafted in the first round by the 49ers.
21-year-old Arik Armstead, a California native, played both basketball and football at Pleasant Grove High School in Sacramento county. He had 126 tackles and 7.5 sacks during his high school football career and was ranked as the sixth best defensive lineman of his class. He was also selected by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit.
Before playing collegiate football, Armstead was chosen to be a part of the U.S. Army All-American game and the 2012 Parade All-America team.
His older brother also played football at USC and then in the Canadian Football League. Originally also a USC football commit, he transferred to the University of Oregon in the spring of his freshman year. He played 12 games with a total of 26 tackles during his freshman football season at USC and “redshirted” the basketball season the same year at Oregon. As a sophomore in 2013, Armstead began playing on the basketball team but decided to focus his attention on football, recording 15 tackles and one sack that season.
As a junior at the College Football Playoff National Championship, he amassed a personal best nine tackles and one fumble in his team’s loss to Ohio State. After his season last fall, he committed to the 2015 NFL Draft and was selected as a first round, 17th pick by the 49ers, one of the two teams situated closest to his hometown.