The doom and gloom that surrounded the San Francisco 49ers following the season-ending injury to star linebacker Fred Warner has begun to dissipate, and that's in large part due to the team's faith in his replacement.
Following Warner's injury, speculation went into overdrive about how the Niners might account for his loss. Some tasked defensive coordinator Robert Saleh with coming up with some sort of exotic scheme to cover the loss of his sideline-to-sideline defender (and in some cases, such as blitzing, that's exactly what he did), while others thought the team might enter the trade market for a solid replacement, such as former 49er and current Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
As it turned out, the 49ers did none of that, instead deciding to stand pat with their current roster and instead entrusting the replacement of Warner to one of their own developed draft picks, 2024 seventh-rounder, Tatum Bethune.
Bethune was almost an afterthought when picked out of Florida State. He joined what was then a crowded linebacker room, with most (even me, who reported the pick) tipping him for a year on the practice squad before being able to compete with the likes of Curtis Robinson and Dee Winters for time on the active roster.
However, what was apparent then, and still is now, was the qualities Bethune had that appealed to San Francisco. While not an athlete on the level of Warner or even Winters, Bethune displayed a high football IQ and a nose for the ball. What he lacked in athleticism, he made up for in instincts.
That showed on the field in the 2024 preseason as well, as he often led the defense in tackles and usually popped off the screen. A couple of solid preseason performances led me to tip him for the roster over some of the Niners' more established players.
I might have pointed it out on Twitter, too:
I hope the 49ers can find a way to stash LB Tatum Bethune. He's raw but he jumps off the screen.
— John Porter (@jporterdoes) August 19, 2024
Feels like every 49er defensive play I see #48 Tatum Bethune around the ball.
— John Porter (@jporterdoes) August 24, 2024
Regardless, Bethune's development since then has been a victory lap for both the 49ers and myself. He gradually forced his way into bigger roles, playing well on special teams and even stepping up to start in the dog days of the 2024 season, starting in Week 18 versus the Arizona Cardinals.
Pressed into the role vacated by Warner, however, Bethune finally showed all his potential. While statistically he had a solid game in recording 10 tackles (one of which was for a loss), his true value came in many things that don't show up on the stat sheet. He got players into position, covered the middle of the field well, and also harassed Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr on multiple occasions.
It wasn't quite a Warner-level performance (I don't see insane athletic turnovers in Bethune's future), but it was a solid, workmanlike performance that allowed the defense not just to hold water and give the offense chance to win the game, but helped San Francisco to hold the Falcons to a paltry 10 points. Many would even go as far as to say the defense won the game, and Bethune was right at the centre of it as its leader.
He displayed every inch of the football instincts and smarts that were apparent in the 49ers' decision to draft him, and Bethune has clearly developed as a player in his time in the Bay Area, something linebackers coach Johnny Holland deserves a lot of credit for, particularly considering his compatriots like Winters are also thriving.
Bethune also spoke impressively in the post-game press conference, sounding every inch the leader and much older and more mature than his 24 years would suggest. In essence, he played, sounded, and acted like an NFL starter, and that's what he'll be moving forward.
Bigger tests will come, and he in particular, will have a bullseye on his back, particularly in a defensive scheme that asks a lot from its linebackers, but there's nothing to suggest he won't be up to it, which is a huge justification of not just the team's faith in Bethune, but his faith in his own development.
The 49ers may have unearthed another defensive star in the late rounds.
And, hey, you heard it from me first. Don't forget.