NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt updated his list of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, and four former San Francisco 49ers landed within the ranking. The list consists of 46 NFL linebackers, past and present. Below are the former 49ers linebackers who Brandt included.
Patrick Willis
Rank: No. 29
Willis played for the 49ers from 2007-14. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time first-team All-Pro. Willis recorded 732 tackles in eight career NFL seasons.
Dave Wilcox
Rank: No. 21
Wilcox played for the 49ers from 1964-74. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time first-team All-Pro. Wilcox was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Rickey Jackson
Rank: No. 18
Jackson played just two seasons with the 49ers from 1994-95, during which he won a championship. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints from 1981-93. Jackson was a six-time Pro Bowl selection who recorded 128 career sacks, which ranks No. 15 on the all-time list. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Kevin Greene
Rank: No. 13
Greene only spent one season with the 49ers (1997). He is best known for his time with the Los Angeles Rams from 1985-92, Pittsburgh Steelers from 1993-95, and two stints with the Carolina Panthers (1996, 1998-99). Greene was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, two-time first-team All-Pro, and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. He recorded 160 career sacks, which ranks No. 3 on the all-time list.
H/T to Patrick Tulini for the find.