(Photo: The Salt Lake Tribune)
Fred Warner played his college football at Brigham Young University better known as BYU and in 2018, the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the third round with the 70th pick. In his rookie season, he started all 16 games and finished that year with 124 tackles, 85 of which were solo, six pass deflections and a forced fumble. His second season, he became a more important piece of the puzzle for this San Francisco defense that ranked amongst one of the best in the league en route to an NFC conference title and appearance in the Super Bowl. Prior to his third season, Fred was rewarded with a contract extension and this took place in 2021. Almost four years later, here we are again with word that he has been given another contract extension, this time, a three-year deal worth $63 million with $56 million guaranteed and this makes him the highest-paid Linebacker in the league.
He’s become the best Middle Linebacker in the league today as we speak and I think Fred is the blueprint for what you look for today in your MLB (Middle Linebacker). First, I want to speak on his approach to the game as he is a full ball of energy that’s loud and energetic, but most football teams have that one guy to pump up the others around him and that’s Fred to a T. We talk about his play and all he can do on the field, but what about his leadership? Before every game, you see everyone rallied around in a circle and there’s number 54 leading the charge attempting to get his men fired up for battle. As a Middle Linebacker, you’re considered the Quarterback of the defense and it’s your job to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be. Now, let’s get to what he does on the field as a player. When you combine the athleticism along with the effort he puts on display on a consistent basis, you get number 54. Fred can play in pass coverage as well as play the run along with moving from sideline to sideline and does this all with the same consistency. Wherever that ball is, Fred will burst through traffic to get there and make the tackle and against the pass, he displays his Safety instincts as he played in the secondary during his college days and that’s why he’s been so successful against playing back in coverage. Fred is a smart player that can call out what the offense will run before the ball is even snapped and that’s what makes a Linebacker so great, the ability to see things before it happens. He’s always flying around and will make sure he travels to that ball as I mentioned before. If I had to compare him to anyone from the past, it’d be Brian Urlacher and Fred has some similarities with the Hall of Famer such as both playing Safety before transitioning over to playing Linebacker full-time.
I remember when I really started paying attention to him during 2019 and everything he provided for the Niners’ defense and since then, he’s continued to climb the ladder. Fred has become the heart and soul of their defense and I wouldn’t disagree with you if you even labeled him as their best defensive player. The 49ers have a way of drafting strong Linebackers to play in the middle, after all, look at what Patrick Willis became for them and he’s now the owner of a gold jacket. This continues a busy off-season for the 49ers as they traded away Deebo Samuel to the Commanders and signed George Kittle, Brock Purdy and now, their star Linebacker.
