PFF predicts Dre Greenlaw to be 49ers’ 2020 breakout player

Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus went around the league and predicted one potential breakout player for each team during the 2020 season. For the San Francisco 49ers, he picked second-year linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Treash wrote the following of the selection:

"Greenlaw surprised as a fifth-round rookie last year with how well he performed in Kwon Alexander's absence. He shined in coverage, posting a 72.6 grade in that facet throughout the 49ers' regular-season and postseason run (15th-best at the position). Greenlaw limits yards after the catch and has a clear nose for the ball. Including the postseason, he racked up 22 passing stops, which were the third-most at the position. He's already a top-25 linebacker in the NFL and is capable of skyrocketing up that list in Year 2."

Greenlaw was named among Pro Football Focus' top 25 linebackers heading into the 2020 season. He came in at No. 24.

San Francisco made Greenlaw a fifth-round draft pick out of Arkansas last year. He racked up 92 tackles, including three for a loss, a sack, two quarterback hits, an interception, and two passes defensed through 16 games and 11 starts during his rookie campaign. The young linebacker started 10 of the last 11 regular-season games and all three playoff matchups.

One play from last year, however, will resonate with fans for years to come. That would be the goal-line stop at the end of the Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks to clinch the NFC West crown.