Fred Warner probably will be a Hall of Famer one day.
He’s 28 and already a four-time first-team All Pro. Patrick Willis was a five-time first-team All Pro who retired at 29 and he’s in the Hall of Fame. Which means Warner’s resume could exceed Willis’ one day.
This past season, Warner played all but the first few games with a fractured ankle and he still was an All Pro. That’s how good he is. And that’s why Pro Football Focus ranks him the NFL’s 57th-best player of 2024.
“For the fifth straight season, Warner finds himself on the PFF 101,” writes PFF. “At a position where it’s hard for players to be consistently elite, he has been just that. The 28-year-old has been one of the four highest-graded linebackers in football in each of the last five seasons and has now placed second three years in a row, this time earning an 89.2 PFF grade. While he’s the third-ranked linebacker on this list, it’s hard not to view Warner as the gold standard for the position.”
As great as Warner is, the 49ers defense ranked just 29th out of 32 teams in terms of points allowed and struggled big time against the run in particular because they missed Dre Greenlaw. He played just 34 snaps last season. He’s one of the most underrated players in the NFL and he will be a free agent next month. If the 49ers don’t re-sign, they better find someone just as good.