‘Respected again!’

Formidable fronts: 49ers, Panthers follow similar path on defense

There’s more than one way to build an NFL winner.

But the 49ers and Panthers decided on a remarkably similar construction plan.

Carolina will visit the 49ers on Sunday boasting a quarterbackharassing defensive line that features five firstround picks and impressive numbers: The Panthers (42) will arrive on a fourgame winning streak that’s included heavy lifting from a defense that leads the NFL in sacks (4.5) and quarterback hits (8.3) per game.

And that should sound familiar: The 49ers’ 60 start wouldn’t have been possible without their own collection of five firstrounders on a disruptive defensive front.

That’s correct: Ten of the 92 players in

uniform Sunday will be defensive linemen who were drafted in the first round.

“I think their defense reminds me as much of our defense as anyone I’ve seen,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “It’s definitely a playoff defense.”

It won’t be a surprise if Sunday’s meeting is reprised in January.

That’s because both teams have an abundance of players skilled at performing the secondmost important task in the NFL: Knocking down the guy tasked with playing the game’s most important position.

The Panthers began last offseason with three firstrounders up front: defensive tackles Dontari Poe and Vernon Butler and pass rusher Bruce Irvin. Then they signed Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and used their first draft pick, No. 16 overall, on edge rusher Brian Burns, who ranks second among rookies in sacks (4.5).

The 49ers began last offseason with three firstrounders up front: DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas. Then they traded for Pro Bowl pass rusher Dee Ford and used their first draft pick, No. 2 overall, on edge rusher Nick Bosa, who ranks third among rookies in sacks (four).

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Carolina began studying Bosa before the draft, but quickly moved on.

“We looked at him,” Rivera said, “and then we stopped because we knew he was going to be an early pick. … You’ve got to be realistic.”

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch didn’t inherit much talent when they took over a 214 team in 2017. But they did have Buckner and Armstead, which Shanahan says helped crystallize a plan: Let’s build a winner by building a bullying defensive front. “That was the way John and I envisioned trying to build it: They had invested in a few Dlinemen before we got here and we wanted to continue doing it,” Shanahan said. “The blueprint to get to the Super Bowl — usually you watch these teams that have done it defensively — and they have some pretty dominant Dlines. We had some guys already here to begin with and the guys we’ve added have given us a chance to have one of those type of Dlines.”

The 49ers rank third in sacks per game (3.3) and the pressure by both teams has made opposing QBs miserable. The Panthers are second in the NFL in interceptions per game (1.5) and the 49ers are fourth (1.2). The 49ers have allowed the secondlowest passer rating (64.6)

and the Panthers rank fourth (73.2).

Another note about Carolina’s firstroundfilled front: Their sack leader is pass rusher Mario Addison, 32, an undrafted free agent who ranks seventh in the NFL with 7.5.

Both teams have so much talent along the line that they rarely send extra defenders to blitz, which can expose the secondary. In fact, there was an echo in the 49ers’ facility in the days before kickoff as they discussed Sunday’s opponent.

“They don’t get a lot of sacks from pressures or exotic blitzes,” left tackle Joe Staley said. “It’s just their front four guys that are making things happen.”

“They get after you with four guys,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. “They don’t have to pressure that much.”

“They can rush four and play coverage,” Buckner said. “Kind of similar to what we do.”

The similarities don’t end there. The defenses have helped allow the 49ers and Panthers to play oldschool ball: Both teams have leaned on strong running games (49ers rank second in the NFL; the Panthers are ninth) and haven’t asked too much of their passing attacks (Panthers are 22nd; 49ers are 25th).

In a passhappy league, that’s not a winning formula for many teams.

But there’s more than one way to build a winner.

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch

Alex Brandon / Associated Press Tight end George Kittle is one of the best in the NFL, and now the same can be said about his team.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle Arik Armstead and Fred Warner celebrate a sack against the Rams. San Francisco has more sacks than all but five NFL teams.