49ers’ Warner takes aggressive approach
Fred Warner, the No. 70 pick in the 2018 draft, recently was voted the 70thbest player in the NFL.
Yes, the 49ers inside linebacker who was selected between Giants defensive tackle B.J. Hill and Denver running back Royce Freeman is now keeping farlessanonymous company: In July, he was sandwiched between Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald, one of the best wideouts in NFL history, and Broncos defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, a fivetime Pro Bowler.
That’s a quick ascension for a thirdround pick. But Warner, 23, said he wasn’t shocked his peers deemed him worthy of such a ranking on NFL Network’s annual list of the league’s top 100 players.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised at all,” Warner said. “I felt like I competed at a high level last year. I think my peers saw that. It probably wasn’t reflected in the awards last year when it came to AllPro and those sorts of things, but obviously we got to the Super Bowl.”
Warner sounded mildly miffed about his lack of awards last year. And his trainingcamp performance suggests he’s taking a bit of that anger out on his teammates before he fully unleashes his aggression on reg
ularseason opponents.
During the first 10 practices, none of which included live tackling, Warner flattened wide receiver Tavon Austin and tussled with tight end George Kittle before Warner’s big hit on running back Raheem Mostert on Wednesday inspired a pushingandshouting match.
On Friday, Warner played just a few snaps during practice. Why? Head coach Kyle Shanahan said it was about preserving Warner, without mentioning another possibility: His teammates needed a break.
“He only goes one speed … we’re trying to protect Fred from himself,” Shanahan said. “We think Fred’s ready to play.”
Warner has played in his first two seasons like the 49ers’ best thirdround pick since 2010 when they selected another inside linebacker, NaVorro Bowman, with the No. 91 pick. Warner isn’t ready to be mentioned with Bowman, a fourtime AllPro, but he’s on that trajectory after ranking 10th in the NFL in tackles among linebackers (242) since 2018.
Last year, Warner stuffed running backs and the stat sheet. His numbers: 118 tackles, nine passbreakups, three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception he returned 46 yards for a touchdown.
He was named a Pro Bowl alternate after he was a headliner on the NFL’s secondranked defense and received six AllPro votes, not enough to make the first or second team.
He could take some solace in the fact that his teammates feel differently. This week, free safety Jimmie Ward termed Warner “AllPro Fred.”
“He was, in my opinion, a Pro Bowl linebacker last year,” Kittle said. “And I think he’s going to be better this year.”
Kittle should know. He and Warner, who excels in pass coverage, are frequent practice combatants and one of their duels set the tone for Warner’s physical summer.
In the first practice of training camp, a nonpadded session, Warner and Kittle briefly mixed it up after a short catch and Kittle ended up on the ground.
“I gave him some crap for that,” Kittle said. “But no worries.”
Warner’s hard hits have apparently left no hard feelings, although defensive coordinator Robert Saleh wasn’t amused when Warner flattened Austin.
Warner and Mostert’s brief scuffle Wednesday was preceded by a milder dustup in practice when Warner met Mostert at the end of a run. Asked about the squareoffs, Mostert said it was “all love.”
“We laughed about it at the end of practice,” Mostert said. “Just a little competition just to get each other right when the season comes.”
Warner, who will earn an $844,000 base salary in 2020, could cash in after the season when he will be eligible for a contract extension. He appears poised to deliver big hits — to teammates and opponents — en route to a potential big deal.
“Fred, I guess you could say the more he grows up or the more he evolves as a football player, the more confidence he gets from a leadership standpoint,” Saleh said. “His true character, when the helmet comes on, comes to fruition, and that’s kind of what you guys are seeing.”