Fred Warner has been a starter from Day 1 since he was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL draft, and he’s become one of the top linebackers in the league over the past five years.
It’s little surprise, then, that on Wednesday the former BYU star was included when ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid released their list of the top 50 NFL draft steals of the past decade.
It was apparent that Warner would be high on the list — his photo appears alongside several other players — wide receiver Terry McLaurin, tight end Travis Kelce, quarterback Dak Prescott and defensive end Maxx Crosby — at the top of the story.
Warner, in fact, sits at No. 9 on the list.
That is the highest of any defensive player.
“Warner entered the NFL as a lightly heralded prospect from BYU who ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash at 230 pounds. He ultimately was the ninth linebacker drafted in the 2018 class,” Miller wrote.
“Warner quickly outplayed that third-round draft spot and has arguably been the NFL’s most consistent linebacker since arriving in San Francisco. He hasn’t missed a start in five years and is a two-time first-team All-Pro.”
What were the rules governing ESPN’s draft steals list?
Miller and Reid laid out three rules in determining their draft steals rankings:
- First-round picks and undrafted players were not considered.
- No 2023 draft picks were considered, as they haven’t played a season yet.
- For a player to qualify, they must have been drafted at least 15 spots later than expected, “and that’s just the floor for the exercise.”
What has Fred Warner done as a pro?
The 26-year-old Warner — who played at BYU from 2014-17 — was a third-rounder and the 70th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft.
He’s started all 81 regular-season games he’s played for the 49ers at middle linebacker, and earned first-team NFL All-Pro honors in 2020 and 2022.
Warner has 634 career tackles and 6.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, four interceptions and one defensive touchdown over the past five seasons.
Where does Fred Warner rank among defenders on ESPN’s draft steals list?
Warner is the only defensive player who shows up in the top 10 of Miller and Reid’s list.
Kelce tops the list at No. 1, followed by wide receiver Tyreek Hill at No. 2, wide receiver Davante Adams at No. 3, wide receiver Cooper Kupp at No. 4 and running back Derrick Henry at No. 5.
The rest of the top 10 included Prescott at No. 6, wide receiver Stefon Diggs at No. 7, tight end George Kittle at No. 8, and quarterback Jalen Hurts one spot behind Warner at No. 10.
There were only two other defenders in the list’s top 20 — defensive tackle Chris Jones at No. 12 and safety Tyrann Mathieu at No. 16.
The only other linebacker on the list was Shaquille Leonard at No. 22. Leonard was drafted the same year as Warner, at No. 36 — 34 spots before Warner.