Fred Warner makes feelings crystal clear on Robert Saleh reuniting with 49ers
After playing four college football seasons at BYU from 2014-2017, linebacker Fred Warner declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. Racking up 264 tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns, Warner was drafted 70th overall in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
During the draft process, Warner felt discouraged because specific teams told him he couldn't do certain things in the NFL. However, Robert Saleh, the San Francisco defensive coordinator at the time, always saw Warner's potential which made him greatly respect the former.
Fred Warner appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday and expressed his excitement about reuniting with Bob Saleh, who signed a deal to return to the 49ers again as their defensive coordinator.
"Super excited, man. I love Saleh. Love everything about him." Warner said. "He was one of the few coaches... The draft process is horrible, unless you're like, the first overall pick, maybe, I don't know how it is. For those guys in the first round, they might get talked up, but for a guy like me who's trying to prove himself, I had a bunch of teams telling me, like, 'oh, you can't do this. You're not this, you're not that.'"
"And then I took my 30 visit with the Niners, and I'm in there with Coach Saleh, and it's obviously like, 'Man, I really like your game, like, this is how I see you playing in our system.' And this is the first time I'm hearing these things. So I'm like, Man, this guy is Coach Saleh. He's the best. I love him. Happy to be back with him," the linebacker added.
Fred Warner is still one of the best linebackers in the NFL seven years after being drafted
Fred Warner may not have been the best linebacker coming out of the 2018 NFL Draft, but he went on to become one of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Since entering the league, Warner has been named to four Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams. He has been highly productive throughout his career, posting 100-plus tackles each season per ESPN.
In his seven seasons with the 49ers, the linebacker has 897 tackles, 10 sacks, 36 tackles for a loss, 53 pass deflections, 10 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.
Robert Saleh is one of the best defensive minds in football, and with Saleh as his defensive coordinator, Fred Warner should continue to disrupt offenses.