The first member of the 49ers showed up on the NFL’s list of the top 100 players as voted on by the players. Linebacker Fred Warner landed at No. 70 in his first appearance on the annual list.
Warner earned the starting Mike linebacker job as a rookie and hasn’t looked back. The former third-round pick out of BYU has started all 32 games he’s played in two seasons and stuffed the stat sheet in those games. He has 242 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 15 pass breakups, four forced fumbles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown in Week 16 against the Rams.
Finding gems like Warner in the middle rounds are how the 49ers so quickly rose from bottom dwellers to Super Bowl participants. He took over the most important job in the middle of the defense and played extremely well. He also filled in as one of the team’s emotional leaders after Kwon Alexander went down with an injury in Week 11.
There are several question marks on the 49ers’ defense going into 2020, but Warner won’t be one of them.
