When the San Francisco 49ers formulated their roster early in 2018, then second-year pro linebacker Elijah Lee certainly wasn’t pegged to be a starter. After all, the Niners just drafted inside backer Fred Warner earlier that spring and were looking to get back their 2017 first-round NFL Draft pick, Reuben Foster, into the fray after a tumultuous offseason.
By the end of 2018, however, Lee was in a starting role. Foster was gone, and Lee saw himself leapfrog veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith on the depth chart, relegating the latter to the backup role Lee held earlier in the year.