The San Francisco 49ers have established themselves as one of the NFL’s most consistent teams.
They have made it to the NFC Championship in three of the past four seasons, and continue to be a dominant force in the NFC.
While their offense has seen it’s struggles at times, the 49ers’ success is widely due to their defense.
As PFF has recently highlighted, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are the only linebackers to have an 80+ grade on both run defense and coverage since 2021.
The 49ers LBs are ELITE pic.twitter.com/zzu5UadpPw
— PFF (@PFF) June 25, 2023
Over the past two seasons, Warner has totaled 267 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and one interception.
He’s also recovered 3 fumbles over a two-year timespan.
Greenlaw only played three games during the regular season in 2021 due to an injury.
However, he racked up 127 tackles and one interception in 2022, along with two forced fumbles and recoveries.
The 49ers seem to keep finding gems at the linebacker position, and Greenlaw and Warner are no exception to that.
PFF’s grades are some of, if not the highest-touted rankings across the NFL.
When they make announcements and grades like this, fans and NFL analysts tend to listen.
Can Warner and Greenlaw live up to this hype, continuing to be staples of the 49ers’ defense?
If the team wants to make another deep postseason run, these are the players that will need to show up to make this happen.
Their offense is in a tricky situation, especially at the quarterback position.
Brock Purdy and Trey Lance are recovering from their respective injuries, and Sam Darnold was brought in as a safety blanket.
With any luck, the defense will be able to cover any missteps by the offense, leading to another winning season for the 49ers.
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