2020 NFL Draft: 3 linebackers who could be the next Fred Warner
The NFL is a copycat league, and teams are going to be searching the 2020 NFL Draft for players who can have the same impact as 49ers star Fred Warner.
The NFL is always looking for the ‘next’ something.
As the game continues to evolve, teams are searching for playmakers at the linebacker position, and quite frankly, they’re asking a lot of today’s ‘ideal’ prospect at the position. The 2020 NFL Draft includes a few guys at the linebacker position who could get a boost in value because of one guy really affecting the position league-wide: San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner.
Warner didn’t look like anything other-worldly coming into the 2018 NFL Draft out of BYU. He was a well-rounded player and a three-year starter for the Cougars with an intriguing combination of size (6-foot-3, 236 pounds) and athleticism.
He obviously piled up tackles in college — 262 total stops in his career — and did a good job of making plays behind the line of scrimmage both as a run defender and pass rusher. He was also solid in coverage.
The 49ers selected Warner in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft near the top of the round, and he’s been a game-changer for them in every sense of the word.
Warner looks like the quintessential three-down linebacker built for today’s game in that he can not only blitz and play the run, but he can cover almost like a safety.
This past season, Warner loaded up the stat sheet:
- 118 total tackles
- 7 tackles for loss
- 3 sacks
- 3 forced fumbles
- 5 QB hits
- 9 pass breakups
- 1 INT (another in Super Bowl LIV)
The NFL is going to be looking for guys who can be this type of player, even if those are unfair expectations.
Which three guys have the best chance of having Warner-like success early on in the 2020 NFL Draft class?