Fred Warner is still in a class all his own among middle linebackers.
The San Francisco 49ers star was named the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL on the ESPN top-10 list deemed by NFL executives, coaches and scouts.
Warner earned more than 80 percent of first-place votes, according to vote compiler Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. His lowest ranking was No. 2, and he earned the accolade for the second straight year.
Why Is Fred Warner The No. 1 Middle Linebacker In The NFL?
Fowler made a super-compelling case for the Niners star linebacker.
“He’s durable, only sitting out one game in his seven-year career,” Fowler wrote. “He has three straight seasons with at least 130 tackles and seven pass deflections, highlighting his pass-game prowess. He also has back-to-back years of four forced fumble.”
Warner is a four-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler who is averaging 133 tackles per season over his career. Somehow the only season he was not an All-Pro was 2021, when he posted a career-high 137 tackles and helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game, before they fell to the eventual-Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
But even though he will turn 29 in November, Warner appears to be getting better with age. Plus, he is coming off one of his most impressive seasons, since he dominated despite the Niners defense’s plethora of injuries in 2024.
“I think Fred has gotten much more productive defeating core blocks and tackling with more physicality,” an NFL coordinator told ESPN. “He’s always been the best in the world in the passing game — range, instincts, ball production. But he was incredible last year.
“Then you factor that with the forced takeaways, durability, and all the other rare intangibles, he’s the best.”
Who Were the Other Off-Ball Linebackers In The Top-10?
Though Warner earned No. 1 honors, he wasn’t the only linebacker with 49ers ties on the list.
Dre Greenlaw, who spent his first six seasons in the Bay Area but only played two games last season for San Francisco, was ranked No. 9 on the list. Greenlaw signed a huge three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Denver Broncos.
“He’s a total savage,” an NFL coordinator told ESPN.com. “A top-five linebacker when healthy.”
But Fowler noted the lack of high-end talent aside from Warner, since the position is largely in transition.
“Not an elite group as a whole,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “A lot of the good players are aging and the up-and-comers are not special, in my opinion. Most of them can be lumped together.”
Roquan Smith of the Baltimore Ravens was ranked No. 2, and Zack Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles finished third.
Here is the full top-10 list of off-ball linebackers deemed by ESPN.
- Fred Warner, 49ers
- Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
- Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
- Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs
- Frankie Luvu, Washington Commanders
- Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears
- Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DeMarvion Overshown, Dallas Cowboys
- Dre Greenlaw, Denver Broncos
- Quincy Williams, New York Jets
Honorable mention: Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings; Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders; Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints; Foyesade Oluokun, Jacksonville Jaguars;Â Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions; Jamien Sherwood, New York Jets; Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns; Logan Wilson, Cincinnati Bengals; Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills; Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers; Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts.
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