Fred Warner
Though Foster has left a hole at Will linebacker, the 49ers appear to have the Mike spot locked up for the long term, with third-round rookie Fred Warner continuing his excellent maiden campaign in the NFL.
According to Pro Football Focus, Warner allowed just 13 yards in coverage on Sunday and was also credited with a pair of defensive stops, earning him an overall game grade of 86.9.
Through weeks 8-12, Warner, per PFF, has given up just 95 yards in coverage in 136 snaps and 18 targets. His 5.28 yards allowed per target rank ninth and his forced incompletion percentage of 22.2 is first among off-ball linebackers with a minimum of 75 coverage snaps across those five weeks. Furthermore, Warner has not allowed a touchdown and missed only one tackle in coverage in the 49ers’ last four games.
He added another pass breakup to his name against Tampa Bay, taking his tally for the season to six, equalling the most he had in a single collegiate season at BYU.
The interceptions, of which he had seven in college, are lacking. But Warner provides a significant silver lining for the 49ers when it comes to the linebacker position and, in an NFL where the coverage abilities of linebackers have never been more important, he appears poised to be an integral part of a San Francisco team that hopes to be playing in much more important games in the near future.
