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5 Things to Know about 49ers DT Arik Armstead

The San Francisco 49ers added Arik Armstead in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

So what should you know about the team's newest defensive tackle?

Here are five things to help you get up to speed.

1.  He lost five games in college (and seemingly wore 39 different uniform combinations).

Armstead's Ducks were 34-5 in his three seasons in Eugene. The star defensive lineman also played in three bowl games: Fiesta, Alamo and Rose, plus the inaugural College Football Championship. Armstead's teams went 3-1 in those games, with the lone loss coming to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national title game, a contest in which he posted a career-high nine tackles.

Armstead was also fortunate to have donned so many uniform combinations for the Ducks. With the 49ers, Armstead will get to wear three different jerseys now that team announced plans to wear a black alternate uniform in 2015.

"Those look sick," Armstead told reporters after he was drafted.

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  1. He reps the "916."**

Armstead is a proud representative of Sacramento. The product of Pleasant Grove High School is also close friends with another first-round draft pick, Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson, who was picked 25th overall by the Washington Huskies.

Armstead told 49ers.com that he wasn't a 49ers fan growing up, but being able to play professionally so close to home was not lost on him.

"I want to represent this part of the state in the right way," Armstead said.

Armstead was a first-team All-State selection as an offensive lineman in high school. On defense, he was first-team All-Metro and first-team All-NorCal as a defensive lineman.

3. He has a basketball background.

Armstead joined the Ducks basketball team in 2012 following the completion of the football season. He ended up redshirting for the team, a unit that won the Pac-12 tournament title and advanced to the NCAA regional round.

Armstead only scored two points in college in the 2013-14 season. His lone basket came in a game against Washington State. Armstead, an accomplished high school player, eventually gave up playing two sports so he could focus on football in 2014.

The move paid off. San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula noted that Armstead will be able to add weight now that he's able to fully focus on training for football in the offseason.

"This is a place where we can bring a guy in that hasn't had those years in the weight room," Tomsula said. "That was playing basketball, who's still young in what he's doing. And traditionally here, when you come in it takes some training. So we have that in that room where he's added. It's not the stress of a guy coming in and having to fill a hole."

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  1. His brother has NFL ties.**
    Armstead's older brother, Armond, played collegiately at USC. He went on to play for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts in 2012 and later signed with the New England Patriots in 2013. 

Armond's NFL career was derailed shortly after his signing. In July of 2013, Armond underwent surgery to fix a heart ailment. He was later placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. Nearly a year later, Armond announced his retirement from the NFL.

"My brother not being able to play anymore, I feel I'm trying to carry on that torch," Arik Armstead said at the NFL Combine in February. "Going through recruiting and high school, I was following up after him; I wanted to be like him.

"He kind of paved the way for me and I'm trying to continue that."

5. He's on Twitter and Instagram.

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