Niner Noise
FanSided

Ranking 49ers 10 best NFL Draft picks of the decade

By Josh Altorfer

CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 28: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell annonces DeForest Buckner of Oregon as the #7 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /
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Fred Warner #54. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Fred Warner #54. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

No. 7: Linebacker Fred Warner

2018 NFL Draft

Round 3, Pick No. 70

Linebacker Fred Warner makes the list at No. 7 in part because he has yet to come close to his prime. Warner has been the definition of dependable since the 49ers drafted him in 2018 by starting every game in his young NFL career.

He has become everything that the 49ers envisioned their 2017 first-round pick, Reuben Foster, would be, but at a cheaper third-round value. Just chew on these tidbits amid Warner’s second year at the pro level:

  • He is a young leader of the core defensive unit for the Niners.
  • He has surpassed 80 solo tackles both of his years in the league.
  • PFF rates him at an overall 70, which might not sound too great but it is better than Seahawks Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner is rated this season.

Warner is a great player in the middle of the defense, and the 49ers will be able to build around him for the next few years at least.