One potential lingering question could be who is set to play weakside (WILL) and who will be the 49ers starting strongside (SAM) linebacker?
A former seventh-round pick of the Vikings back in 2017, Lee was picked up off waivers before the start of his rookie campaign. But a separate NFL coordinator said Warner belongs because he's a 'real factor in pass defense, real smart. The still-young 25-year-old backer leads the NFL with 78 missed tackles since the Bucs made him a fourth-round pick back in 2015. Greenlaw recorded six tackles, including one brilliant tackle for loss.Even then, the fifth-year pro could be used as the primary backup to Warner at the MIKE position. It’s a good problem to have, especially if the 49ers decide to move on from Malcolm Smith. That’s how good the BYU product was a rookie.Lee can back up Greenlaw at the SAM spot. While this comes with a major risk, it’s important to note that only $14.25 million of that is fully guaranteed. In fact, if Alexander fails to return to a high level following said injury, San Francisco can get out from under his deal with a mere $3 million dead cap hit after this season.It does seem that Greenlaw is already a plus-level cover guy. We look at this and a whole lot more in our latest position preview for the 49ers heading into the 2019 NFL season. It’s not a guarantee.Warner started all 16 games, recording 124 tackles and six passes defended. Ryans discussed his transition as a standout NFL player to his role as the San Francisco 49ers inside linebackers coach. In this installment, we will address the linebacker position and how the unit can improve in 2020.The group managed to maintain production despite injuries and shifts in roles. Of course, that’s dependent on Nzeocha actually fending off the likes of LaRoy Reynolds and Azeez Al-Shaair for a spot on the 53-man roster. '"Alexander suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 9 of the regular season that was widely assumed to be season ending. The 49ers young trio of linebackers set the tone for San Francisco's defense last year.
Previous bylines include: Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus, Yahoo! Heard on Fox Sports Radio and ESPN Radio. Primarily, Lee’s presence on the field last season was due to injuries. According to Pro Football Reference, his defensive snap count jumped from zero to 537 (47%) in 2019. If we were to draft again, he’d likely be a top-20 pick.
That’s something San Francisco has missed from the SAM spot in recent seasons. Share. He appeared in all 16 games, starting three. In the fourth installment of this five-part series, 49ers.com is breaking down the linebacker position and prospects that have been linked to the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s the most action Nzeocha has seen throughout his career. "The 49ers ask Warner to do a lot: Call the defense, anchor the run, chase pass-catchers on deep over routes on third down," ESPN staff writer Jeremy Fowler wrote. Given Greenlaw’s emergence and the addition of David Mayo (more on him later), rostering Smith might be redundant.The rebuilt San Francisco 49ers linebacker group could be among the team’s biggest strengths this coming season. We’re not expecting the same thing to happen this coming season unless injuries take hold.Sure defensive coordinator Robert Saleh might love Smith dating back to their days with the Seahawks, but enough might be enough here. To put into perspective how trivial the difference is, both positions are fairly interchangeable. As a third-round pick last year, Warner was one of the biggest steals of the 2018 NFL Draft. Seen on Fox Sports and MSN. Lee provides much more upside. For good reason. The good news? Previous bylines include: Bleacher Greenlaw looked great during training camp and brought that very same excellence with him to the linebacker’s NFL preseason debut against Dallas. That’s absolutely huge given that Warner played more snaps than the rest of San Francisco’s linebackers combined.The hope is that Alexander will return to the dominant figure he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. Collectively, the 49ers linebackers amassed 272 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 16 passes defended and four interceptions and were essential to San Francisco's Super Bowl run.In his first appearance on the list, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year landed at 17th on the player-voted countdown.Latest news on San Francisco's roster moves, Richard Sherman and Nick Bosa are latest 49ers announced on NFL's Top 100, John Lynch gives updates on the team heading into training camp.
49ers players pumped linebacker Fred Warner made NFL's top 100 list . Can this trio take steps forward with their first full offseason together?Thursday, Jul 16, 2020 01:59 PM"I'm just ready to play wherever the coaches put me at, and I know I've got to be ready to play both positions," Greenlaw said. The San Francisco 49ers made some splash moves at linebacker during the offseason, and Niner Noise offers up predictions how the depth chart pans out in 2019. If he can’t even get on the field ahead of Week 1, it will tell us a lot about the veteran’s status in San Francisco.The youngster is poised for a Pro Bowl season as a sophomore. Seen on Fox Sports and MSN. Even then, he stands a good chance to break camp with the 49ers.We’re going to boldly predict that this rookie mid-round pick will start over veteran Malcolm Smith at the SAM linebacker spot. By Dalton Johnson July 28, 2020 7:44 AM. Heard on Fox Sports Radio and ESPN Radio.