49ers 90-in-90: LB Fred Warner

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesHeading into the 2018 season, expectations for rookie LB Fred Warner were next to nothing. In last years poll, the question was who would play more snaps, Warner or Malcolm Smith? Warner ended up playing 98% of the defensive snaps. Reuben Foster played one more snap than Smith. We argue over silly things during the offseason, but players separate themselves in camp. That’s what happened with Warner.

Tackles are an overrated stat. “Stops”—tackles that constitute a loss for an offense— matter. Last year Warner had the ninth most stops out of all linebackers in the league. That’s what you want. You can tell Warner studies the game the way he sniffs plays out.…