1st Team All Pro - LB Fred Warner

Originally posted by Heroism:

Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

Lmao

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

No, he doesn't entertain the impossible.

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:
Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

Originally posted by gold49digger:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:
Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

Great stuff!!

Originally posted by TheXFactor:

Originally posted by gold49digger:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

That was GOLDEN!

Originally posted by Heroism:

Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

That's the perfect size for him as a SAM/LEO hybrid. I found the source you were talking about and read he was hovering between 254 - 257. It was actually a really nice article explaining that there's a sense among the coaches and FO that he was set back with Baalke forcing him to bulk up so much and the fact that he had to spend a lot of time transitioning between multiple schemes between Mangini, O'Neill, and then Saleh last season. So, to be fair to him, I can see their point.

Perhaps Harold, with his body in the ideal place, some continuity for once in a system, and some additional time to work on his pass rush technique and get reps at LEO -- not to mention our pass rush coach we added -- perhaps he can show us something this year that we didn't expect.

Consider this also: Eli is in a contract year. We know how often players show up big in these cases. For our sake, I hope Harold shows up in a big way so we don't have to worry about the SAM or LEO positions (depending on where he excels) going forward.

Originally posted by TheXFactor:

Originally posted by gold49digger:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:

Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

I can't wait to see this kid playing next to Reuben.

Originally posted by Heroism:
Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

254pds? He must be serious about getting reps at D-End/LEO.

Originally posted by mayo49:

I can't wait to see this kid playing next to Reuben.

f**k. Yes.

If anyone doesn't already have The Athletic, I would highly recommend getting a subscription. Lots of great sports journalism that amounts to less than $0.15 a day.




Here are a few excerpts from an excellent David Lombardi article on Warner.



https://theathletic.com/351653/2018/05/16/fred-warner-is-the-49ers-newest-lb-but-his-byu-past-suggests-his-nfl-role-will-extend-beyond-that/

Fred Warner's position in BYU's defense was called the "Flash," and it's a particularly challenging spot to define.

Was he a linebacker? At 236 pounds, Warner was certainly heavy enough to throw run-stopping effectiveness into the crowded fray of the box. But linebackers don't typically find themselves positioned 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage at the snap, and often covering receivers.

Yet Warner did.

So was he a safety? At 6-foot-3, Warner was clearly tall and athletic enough for that, and he led BYU in pass break-ups and interceptions over his final two seasons there. But safeties, especially those who excel in pass coverage, don't typically pace their team with 87 tackles.

Yet Warner did.

That's because the Flash fell into both categories: It took the unique traits associated with a linebacker, and also those of a defensive back, and demanded them all under one hood. There's a reason BYU won't have a Flash position anymore this coming season, and it's simple: Warner is no longer on the roster, having been drafted in the third round by the 49ers.

"When we did blitz him, he did make big plays," Sitake said. "He's big and long and can do all that stuff. We just didn't blitz him as much as we wanted to because he's so good in coverage. He just has a knack for covering people. It's hard to explain. He just understands it.

"We would go 1-on-1 with receivers, and he's the only linebacker lining up as a safety or a nickel covering slot receivers and tight ends. It didn't cause him any issues. He's the only one I've been around who can really do that, and I've been around college football for a long time."

The 49ers obviously have a specific vision for how Warner will fit into their larger defensive framework, and general manager John Lynch hinted that Warner's placement within their scheme might be as distinctive as it was at BYU.

Answering a question about Warner during the draft, Lynch invoked the example of Phil Jackson, explaining that the former Chicago Bulls coach was at the forefront of basketball in the way he used length on defense to choke off opposing passing lanes in the 1990s.

The pass-heavy nature of the NFL has caused many to describe modern football as "basketball on grass," so Lynch's analogy was fitting as it pertains to Warner's potential role.

"When you're in those hooks, guys that have great length and great ability to move in a real athletic fashion, it shrinks the field," Lynch said. "And we think Fred's one of those guys who can shrink the field."

So at least in theory, Warner can be a factor at all three linebacker spots, and he can also serve as a rover who begins plays further from the line of scrimmage. In a Cover 3 scheme that often aligns eight players near the box to suffocate opposing running games, Warner projects to revel in opportunities galore.

And that's where his smarts come in. Warner scored 32 on the Wonderlic test at the NFL scouting combine (the average score for a chemist is 31), and he left BYU's film room with the clear wherewithal to master an intricate defensive playbook at multiple positions.

https://theathletic.com/351653/2018/05/16/fred-warner-is-the-49ers-newest-lb-but-his-byu-past-suggests-his-nfl-role-will-extend-beyond-that/

Originally posted by Young2Rice:

Originally posted by TheXFactor:

Originally posted by gold49digger:

Originally posted by 49ers808:

Originally posted by Heroism:
Just a heads up, Eli Harold said he's 254 last month on the 49ers podcast and doesn't plan to get any bigger.

Did he mention if he plans on getting any better?

its all about sexy!!

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:
If anyone doesn't already have The Athletic, I would highly recommend getting a subscription.

Are you secretly Tim Kawakami ?