Our fans have been choosing an MVP on an annual basis since after the 1998 season when quarterback Steve Young became the first player to win the honor. Since then, just four linebackers have won. They are Julian Peterson (2003), Patrick Willis (2007, 2010), NaVorro Bowman (2015), and now Fred Warner, who is the latest winner.
Warner ran away with the fan voting, garnering 78.6 percent of the votes. The next-closest player was rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who earned 6.4 percent of the votes.
This obviously isn't the only accolade resulting from Warner's impressive 2020 campaign. He earned his first All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections and won the prestigious team-issued Len Eshmont and Bill Walsh awards.
The 49ers made Warner a third-round selection out of BYU in 2018. He finished this past season with a team-leading 125 tackles, five tackles for a loss, a sack, six passes defensed, two interceptions, and a forced fumble through 16 games, per Pro Football Reference.
Warner's 88.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade was the highest among NFL linebackers, and the third-year star was San Francisco's highest-graded defender.
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