Elite linebacker play has remained synonymous with the best defenses in football. Athletes that live within the core of a unit, their ability to dissect the ground game before flipping and running in coverage can separate a good defensive structure from a great one.
A three-time All-Pro, Fred Warner has long been considered one of the elite second-level defenders in the NFL. A menacing ballplayer with a reputation for versatility, physicality, leadership, and elite football IQ, he should find himself among the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year following a season-ending injury to Aidan Hutchinson in Detroit.
Individually, Warner isn’t your traditional linebacker, and for San Francisco, he’s much more than a high-level player in uniform—he’s the heart and soul of one of the NFL's best units known for its physicality and speed. In today’s NFL, where defenses are constantly searching for ways to counter conceptually unique, high-powered offenses and elite quarterback play, the ability to deploy a player like Warner is invaluable.
Warner can effectively eliminate mismatches over the middle of the field that opposing offenses try to create, allowing the 49ers’ defensive front to focus on pressuring the quarterback. And when in space, the BYU product is a nightmare to get around or run through. His lateral range and acutely precise pursuit angles allow him to close on ball-carriers in a flash, and his instincts help him read plays before the ball is ever snapped. It’s a deadly blend of intelligence and athleticism.
Warner’s impact goes beyond his physical tools and traits, however. The green dot (play-caller) for the 49ers’ defense, his leadership and communication is evident on each and every down. He’s constantly moving pre-snap, making adjustments based on the offensive formation, pushing and sliding players into gaps, all the while understanding his responsibilities after the ball is snapped.
Another important factor in Warner’s DPOY candidacy has been his consistency. Since being drafted by San Francisco back in 2018, Warner has rarely missed time due to injury and has delivered elite performances not once every few weeks, but game after game after… you get the point. Other defensive stars can occasionally run into a stretch of fluctuating performances, whereas Warner’s consistency has been the foundation of San Francisco’s defense.
While Hutchinson was the clear favorite for the award, even if Detroit’s star stayed healthy, Warner’s production and consistently elite play were enough to be fully in the conversation as it stood. He’s remained a constant force in every game, racking up tackles, PBUs, and key plays on high-leverage downs in both the run and passing game.
The Defensive Player of the Year award often goes to a player who not only has an outstanding individual season but also makes a significant impact on a team competing for a Super Bowl ring. For Warner, while the 49ers have been bit by the injury bug early on, expectations remain as lofty as any team in football now six weeks in.
While several other candidates could be considered a higher favorite than Warner, he stands out due to his consistency in a multifaceted role at a position that has continued to evolve as much as any spot in football over the last decade. The bottom line, leading a team in tackles, covering elite pass-catchers in space, and consistently showing up in big moments has to hold weight.
While other players may have standout seasons in specific areas, Warner’s ability to do it all, and at a high level, truly sets him apart. He doesn’t have the luxury of making the flashy play of bending the edge, forcing a strip-sack, only to cap it off with a sack celebration. Rather, Warner just straps up and runs through opponents’ facemasks for 60 minutes every Sunday at a level we haven’t seen since some of the all-time NFL greats played the position in the early 2000s.
His path to DPOY is clearer than ever, and his all-around dominance should be rewarded with the league’s highest defensive honor in what would represent the first true off-ball linebacker DPOY since 2005 (Brian Urlacher).
