San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner remains one of the NFL's most respected defensive players. Although he missed 11 games last season after suffering a dislocated and fractured right ankle, the All-Pro linebacker still earned the top spot in a prominent offseason ranking.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler continued his annual NFL position rankings this week, unveiling his list of the league's top off-ball linebackers. The rankings are based on feedback from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, reflecting the league's top players entering the 2026 season rather than their career accomplishments.
Warner claimed the No. 1 spot for the fourth consecutive year.
"Rarely does a player miss most of a season due to injury and maintain his standing in our top 10," Fowler wrote. "Warner, however, earned around 70% of the first-place votes. It was a slight drop from the previous year, but his status in the position hierarchy remains clear."
The good news for the 49ers is that Warner is healthy and expected to be fully cleared for training camp, returning as the emotional leader and centerpiece of the team's defense.
"He diagnoses faster than anyone," one NFL coordinator told Fowler. "That's really his secret sauce. Processes the game at an incredibly fast level."
Before last season, Warner had never finished a campaign with fewer than 118 tackles. Even in limited action, he earned a 93.2 defensive grade and a 91.5 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus—both the highest among all off-ball linebackers.
"Warner has been an All-Pro four times since 2020, second only to edge rusher Myles Garrett (five) during that span," Fowler added. "An ankle injury limited Warner to six games last season, but he made the most of those appearances with 51 tackles (two for loss), three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery."
As Warner enters his ninth NFL season, he'll look to anchor a revamped 49ers defense and help lead San Francisco back into Super Bowl contention.
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