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San Francisco 49ers Draft Oregon DT Arik Armstead

The 49ers selected University of Oregon's DT Arik Armstead with the 17th overall draft pick.

With the 17th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Oregon defensive tackle Arik Armstead.

The team initially held the 15th pick in the draft but traded with the San Diego Chargers for their first-round pick, fourth-round pick (117th overall) and 2016 fifth-round pick.

Armatead, a Sacramento, Calif., native, had been linked to the 49ers in many mock drafts leading up to Thursday night's first round.

"I'm excited to be close to home with my family," Armstead said. "Being able to play for the 49ers in Northern California is huge for me. I want to represent this part of the state in the right way."

A former basketball player at Oregon, Armstead is listed at 6-foot-7, 292 pounds. He has frequently been compared to Arizona Cardinals pass-rusher Calais Campbell for his size and length. 

The 21-year-old finished the 2014 season with 16 quarterback pressures, 2.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Although many experts have lauded his future potential, Armstead believes he'll be able to make an immediate impact in the 49ers base 3-4 defense – the same scheme he played in at Oregon.

"My skill set is perfect in a 3-4. I picked it up really easy when I learned it," Armstead said. "I think if people watch film of me, they'll see a technically sound player. But I still have a lot of room to grow and a lot of things to improve on, and I'm looking forward to doing that with the coaches there."

The 49ers current depth at defensive tackle includes Garrett Celek, Tony Jerod-Eddie, Quinton Dial, and Justin Smith, who has yet to announce if he'll return for a 15th NFL season. 

Armstead visited the 49ers in the weeks leading up the draft and left feeling confident that the team had mutual interested in him.

"I was comfortable with everybody," Armstead said. "I really love it there. I build some good relationships in that short time period, so I'm going in there open-minded, looking to work hard and be coached."

When Armstead suits up for the 49ers this fall, it won't be the first time he's appeared at Levi's® Stadium. He played in the 49ers new home twice in college, winning games over Cal and Arizona.

"The stadium is great. Being there a couple times, I've had some good memories in there – winning the Pac-12 championship in there," Armstead said. "That stadium has treated me extremely well. I'm looking forward to playing my next game in there and spending however long my career is in there."

New 49ers coach Jim Tomsula called Armstead – hosting a party at his Sacramento home at the time – to inform him of the 49ers selection. That moment is captured below. 

Arik Armstead gets the call from the San Francisco 49ers #NFLDraft

A post shared by Sean Cunningham (@abc10sean) on

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