One of the biggest losses the San Francisco 49ers suffered this offseason was linebacker Dre Greenlaw's free-agent departure to the Denver Broncos.
It might have been one the Niners aimed to avoid, too, as a last-ditch effort failed to convince All-pro backer Fred Warner's longtime running mate to stay put in the Bay Area.
In response, San Francisco used a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Nick Martin, a linebacker out of Oklahoma State who'll have an inside track to secure the starting job alongside Warner on day one.
Except Pro Football Focus doesn't see things that way.
Predicting all 32 teams' starting offenses and defenses for 2025, PFF didn't tab Martin as a Week 1 starter. Instead, PFF listed third-year pro Dee Winters as the name to watch as a base-down defender alongside Warner.
Interesting.
Prior to Martin's selection, it wouldn't have been a bad prediction. Winters appeared to be the primary beneficiary of Greenlaw's departure, but the fact he started 10 games a season ago amid a group that wholly lacked depth and talent behind Warner and during Greenlaw's injury-related absences didn't bode well for the 2023 draftee's long-term prognosis.
Hence, why the 49ers used a day-two pick on Martin.
Warner, too, is bullish on the rookie, which bodes well for the latter's chances of seizing a starting job right out of the gate and replacing Greenlaw.
Of course, too much stock shouldn't be put into PFF's predictions here. After all, the football outlet listed Malik Mustapha as one of the Niners' starting two safeties despite the fact he's coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 last year and is likely to miss the opening few weeks of the regular season.
Simple mistake, right? It's OK, though. We've all been there.