SANTA CLARA — It was the kind of advantage Tank Carradine seldom enjoyed when he was a traditional defensive lineman, fighting to free himself from the clutches of a 325-pound guard or tackle.

Instead, Carradine, coming from his spot as a left outside linebacker, had only to deal with Green Bay tight end Richard Rodgers, who is 260 pounds and is more of a receiver than a blocker.

It was a mismatch. Carradine shoved Rodgers back with two hands, then made a beeline to his left around Rodgers and directly at quarterback Joe Callahan, finishing the play for a 10-yard sack.

A former second-round draft pick in 2013, Carradine may have finally found a home as an outside linebacker, and his play was a bright spot Friday night in a 21-10 loss to the Packers at Levi’s Stadium.

“I think Tank has really taken to it, playing on his feet, setting edges,” 49ers coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s a physical force when it comes to rushing the quarterback. He’s an outside linebacker in what we do defensively.”

It took three seasons before the 49ers realized Carradine wouldn’t ever become a replacement for Justin Smith or Ray McDonald.

Coming out of Florida State recovering from an ACL tear, Carradine was a 4-3 defensive end in college who figured he’d probably end up as an outside linebacker in the 49ers 3-4 alignment.

Yet when he was drafted in 2013, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said flatly, “He’s going to play down. He’s not an outside linebacker.”

The 49ers toyed with using Carradine as an outside linebacker toward the end of the 2015 season. It became a plan rather than an experiment when Baalke called Carradine in his office to inform him that after further review, he indeed would be an outside linebacker.

To play on the defensive line, the 6-foot-4 Carradine had bulked up to 305 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. He said he’s currently at 275 and is hoping to shed some more weight.

“I feel so much different, the only thing I’m still trying to adjust to is dropping in coverage and things like that,” Carradine said. “I actually like it better. I’m able to do more — set the edge, rush the passer, drop and cover guys. I was as comfortable as I’ve been tonight.”

The 49ers sat out outside linebackers Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks, in part to get Carradine the maximum amount of work. Lynch will miss the first four games of the season on suspension for violating the NFL policy on substance abuse.

Carradine has been running behind Eli Harold on the left, but looked strong against Green Bay. An earlier strong pass rush against starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was negated on an illegal hands to the face penalty. He was the only defensive player with two hits on the quarterback.

To lose weight in the off-season, Carradine went on an extended liquid diet and said the weight came off easily.

“I got up every morning and walked and also did it before I went to sleep, for about three months,” Carradiine said. “I just kept thinking about doing whatever it takes to help make me a better player and help my team out. I made the commitment to do that.”

Carradine, 27, said he doubts another liquid diet is in his future with the season already underway, and will consult with the training staff to hopefully drop some additional weight.

“I feel more healthy,” Carradine said. “When I was 300, 305, it seemed like after every play I was tired. I didn’t feel like me.”