49ers predictions: Fred Warner will be Niners 2021 MVP

The 49ers have a number of players who could be their 2021 MVP, but few have as big an all-around impact as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

When thinking about who winds up being the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2021 most valuable player, a number of names could come to mind.

The most popular choice, and probably the No. 1-ranked best player on the team would be 2019 All-Pro tight end George Kittle, and there’d be little argument. Quarterbacks are always important, so some may argue it’ll be either Jimmy Garoppolo or perhaps even the rookie, Trey Lance, this season. And don’t count out arguably the Niners’ most talented defender, EDGE Nick Bosa.

But if one was to offer up the best prediction, San Francisco’s 2021 MVP would be linebacker Fred Warner.

Warner, the 2020 first-time first-team All-Pro, needs little introduction to the 49ers fanbase. What’s more stellar is last year’s campaign, amid all the injuries the team suffered, made Warner an NFL-recognized name, landing him at No. 31 on CBS Sports’ list of top 100 players entering 2021.

True, Bosa, Kittle and even left tackle Trent Williams ranked higher. But it’s not hard to see why Warner has a bigger reach towards impacting the defense.

Why Fred Warner is more valuable to 49ers than Nick Bosa

Last year provided a case study why Warner should rank above Bosa in terms of team MVP status.

Bosa, of course, was lost for the year with a season-ending ACL tear suffered in Week 2. While the Niners’ pass rush ultimately suffered a lot, the defense still ranked as a top-five unit with Warner leading the way with a team-high 125 tackles, which was also tied for 10th best in the NFL in 2021.

One could easily prompt the “what if?” question about whether or not San Francisco’s defense would have ranked so high despite the injuries if Warner hadn’t been available for all 16 games.

Fortunately, he was. And he’s never missed a game over his three-year career.

Why Fred Warner is more valuable to 49ers than George Kittle, anyone else

Some may take this as a slight to Kittle. It’s not. Kittle is probably the 49ers’ best overall player, but that shouldn’t automatically translate to a team MVP award.

Kittle, Garoppolo, Williams and perhaps even Lance are all fully immersed within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s established offense. Shanahan’s system is implemented and will function well as long as the majority of important players stay healthy.

The same can’t be said yet of first-year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ system, which won’t be identical to the one Warner thrived in under now-New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh the last three years.

Related Story: Fred Warner is now even more important to DeMeco Ryans

Ryans, a former NFL linebacker himself, will have a lot of the same growing pains Saleh had over his first two years between 2017 and 2018 before finally solidifying the Niners’ defensive scheme.

Simply put, Ryans will have to lean on Warner a lot more than Shanahan would have to lean on Garoppolo, Kittle or Williams. Especially during Ryans’ first year as a coordinator.

That right there could be the X-factor difference. A team captain already, Warner will be responsible to ensure the 10 other players on the field with him at any given time are matching what Ryans is asking them to do, making the former defensive assistant’s job much easier than a quarterback or tight end who’s already familiar with the offensive system in place.

If Warner’s role for San Francisco this season isn’t that valuable, what is?