There’s more praise for the 49ers linebacker before the 2025 season
With training camp about to open for the San Francisco 49ers, newly extended team captain Fred Warner is set to lead the defense and revamped defensive line, which is out to prove that 2024 was a one-off for the perennial NFC title contenders.
The accolades continue to roll in for “All-Pro Fred” after being named the league’s top linebacker by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who polled several anonymous scouts, execs, and coaches. Last season was a struggle for the 49ers and Warner, who battled an ankle injury all season. Before his injury, Warner was a leading candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
Pro Football Focus is revealing their top 50 NFL players list, and Warner is the first 49er to crack the list at number 24.
Given his production in San Francisco, especially over the past five years, Warner has cemented himself as the NFL’s top linebacker. He’s finished among the top five linebackers in overall grade every year since 2019, including a first-place ranking in 2020 and second-place finishes in each of the last three seasons. Equally dominant against the run and in coverage, Warner has earned 80.0-plus grades in both facets each of the past three years.
Warner has ranked as the second-highest graded linebacker for three consecutive seasons. 2021 was his lowest graded season, at 80.1, which was the fifth-best in the NFL. In contrast, 2020 was his highest graded season, at 88.6, as the number one linebacker in the game.
2025 provides a unique challenge for the all-world linebacker. Dre Greenlaw was out for much of 2024 and has moved on to Denver with Talanoa Hufanga. Nick Martin and Dee Winters figure to battle for the linebacker spot next to Warner and will look to the veteran for guidance under Robert Saleh’s defense.
How will the new look starting linebackers look in 2025 under Saleh, and playing behind a relatively young defensive line? If the 49ers’ defensive line holds up their end of the bargain by eating up blocks and creating lanes for the linebackers to flow through to stop the run and rush the passer, Warner will be in for another big season in San Francisco.