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Fred Warner has made a name for himself since being drafted by the 49ers out of BYU in 2018. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and is a three-time first-team All-Pro member. Warner is also widely regarded as one of, if not the best, off-ball linebackers in professional football since coming into the league. And yet, somehow, he’s gotten even better.
Through six games of the 2024 season, Fred Warner has amassed 50 combined tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, 5 passes defended, and 4 forced fumbles, which leads the league so far. He’s been an absolute beast and arguably the most valuable player on the 49ers this season. He also has a case to be the most valuable defender in the league so far and that argument extends far beyond the stat sheet and highlight-reel plays.
His Playmaking Abilities
There aren’t a lot of defensive players in the NFL that are considered playmakers. That term usually gets applied to offensive players. However, this season, Fred Warner has more than earned that moniker of a playmaker. Warner is a physically gifted linebacker. This play demonstrates that with him diagnosing the screen and running across the field to make a crazy hit on Raymond Calais.
That being said, for any great linebacker, your success on the football field is more about your understanding and mental process of the game than your physical ability. Warner’s football IQ is second to none in the league at the linebacker position. This play against the Seahawks last week was a perfect example of what makes him special. That combination of recognizing the play as it’s happening and having the physical ability to split the double team and make the tackle is exceptionally rare.
Warner’s Impact On San Francisco
Fred Warner is also asked to do more than just about any linebacker in football. San Francisco has traditionally not been a team that blitzes, because of their stout defensive line, and it’s no different this year. They rank 29th in the league so far this season in blitz percentage. What has changed is their run defense. They rank 13th in run stop win rate so far, which while not bad, is worse than where they were in prior seasons. Warner has been a key piece of the run defense for years but is now asked to do more than ever in stopping the run, while also being the best coverage linebacker in the NFL.
On top of that, the Niners have struggled to find a suitable companion alongside Fred Warner at the off-ball linebacker position since Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl last season. De’Vondre Campbell has been one of the worst starting linebackers in the league this season, so much so that San Fran gave snaps to Dee Winters last game. Even with those problems in run defense and linebacker, the Niners still have a good defense this season, even if it’s not as good as it’s been in the past, and Fred Warner is the biggest reason for that.
Final Thoughts
Fred Warner has built himself an excellent case to be the first off-ball linebacker to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award since Luke Kuechly. Even if other players at the moment such as Dexter Lawrence or T.J. Watt have arguments, I believe at this point, Fred Warner has the strongest argument to win DPOY. He’s made superhuman plays all season and has repeatedly shown himself to be the best at his position for multiple seasons.
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