Third year was charm for linebacker Warner
Samuel, Greenlaw could be next if they have breakout seasons
It took left tackle Trent Williams until his third season to draw Pro Bowl honors, which he’s subsequently received every season in which he’s played since that 2012 breakthrough.
It took linebacker Fred Warner three seasons to land his first Pro Bowl nod, which he received Monday, when he, Williams and fullback Kyle Juszczyk were the 49ers’ honorees.
So, if the third season is the charm, who’s next for the 49ers in 2021?
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is the best bet on that path, assuming he can enjoy a healthier 2021 after the production he’s shown his first two years when on the field. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s piled up highlightreel plays in his first two seasons, too.
The 49ers’ rallying cry this season was to get Warner some overdue recognition, and while that had teammates nicknaming him “All- Pro Fred,” the Pro Bowl honors came first; the Associated Press’ All- Pro teams are likely coming in two weeks.
Juszczyk was more delighted about Warner’s Pro Bowl breakthrough than his own honor. Juszczyk was in his fourth and final season with the Baltimore Ravens when he first made the Pro Bowl, and he’s made it in all four seasons since joining the 49ers.
“That first one means the most and is the hardest to get,”
Juszczyk said. “I’ve told ( Warner) he’s got the hardest out of the way and now they’ll start coming easier, because people know his name know. And rightfully so.
“The guy is an absolute baller and he’s been playing out of his mind not just this year but the past couple of years.”
Warner, a third- round draft pick out of BYU, leads the 49ers in tackles for a third straight season ( 101 currently), and his two interceptions are tied for the team lead.
“It’s a huge honor,” Warner said of his Pro Bowl nod. “That’s one of those things you come into the league and have individual goals, and to be able to check one of those off is huge.
“Any individual accolades in this league is always
a team award. Football is the truest team sport in the entire world. I can’t do what I do without my teammates. I have a great group around me and am very blessed.”
Williams called his eighth Pro Bowl berth “far more special” than his previous ones, having missed last season after successful cancer surgery on his
scalp. “It was a mountain climb for me and to be recognized by my peers as one of the best in the game, it gives me confidence to think my game is back where it’s supposed to be,” said Williams, who hopes to re- sign with the 49ers and charts out mid- March as a likely timeline once free agency commences.
Why did it take three
years for Williams to get a Pro Bowl invitation?
He recalled his head “was spinning” as a rookie and that it took a wake- up call “I’ll never forget” from head coach Mike Shanahan, who quoted how much Williams was getting paid ( six years, $ 60 million as the No. 4 pick) and told him it was time to prove his worth. “From that day on, I was learning on the job and coach challenged me a lot,” said Williams, noting he played extremely well in Year 2 but “was a bone head” and got suspended the final four games for violating the NFL’s drug policy.
So which third- year 49ers to look for in 2021?
If Greenlaw ups his game and joins Warner in the Pro Bowl honors in the future, it would conjure up memories of the 49ers’ last linebacker tandem to do so, that being Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman in 2012 and ’ 13.