When the San Francisco 49ers signed Colton McKivitz this season, they knew exactly what they were signing up for. While he can handle a majority of rushers in the NFL, McKivitz had a poor day against Will Anderson, which cost the team the ability to get multiple drives off the ground. 

To be fair, Anderson is one of the best rushers in the NFL. He ranks second in the NFL in pressures according to PFF, and his pressures always seem to be at the most needed times. While you did not expect to see McKivitiz play great, it is not fun to think that you just signed a player to an extension, and yet you know he is likely going to lose in certain matchups. 

McKivitz has not faced too many heavy-hitting pass rushers. Seattle, Arizona, and Atlanta all have pass rushers by committee with no big-name rusher. Cameron Jordan is aging and having his worst season, and the Jaguars lost Travon Walker when he played the 49ers. So, in five of the eight games that the 49ers have played, he has not faced a star rusher. 

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Will Anderson is second in pressures, Byron Young is 13th, and Hasson Reddick is 20th. All of them had success against McKivitz. According to Pro Football Focus, McKivitz has allowed nine pressures in those three games on just 101 snaps, while he has allowed just six pressures in the other games on 176 snaps. 

He has a grade of 80 in the five games against non-elite rushers and a grade of 61. His pass block efficiency rating is 97.4 in the five good games but 93.6 otherwise. His two worst games were the Rams and Texans, where he had a grade of 52 in those two, and a pass blocking rating of 91. 

Needless to say, this is what the 49ers signed up for when they extended McKivitz. He can handle the non-elite rushers. When he does not see a top-20 type of talent, he grades out well and is not a problem. However, when he faces top-20 level rushers, he is going to give up pressures, and he is going to struggle in what could end up being consequential moments. 

It is hard to find reliable tackles against decent rushers, so the 49ers’ interest makes sense, but it is worth wondering if games like Sunday were worth it.