San Francisco 49ers defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner were recently named to Pro Football Focus' top 25 players under the age of 25. Now, both have been named to NFL.com's "2021 All-Under-25 Team," compiled by Nick Shook.
Bosa is coming off a season that saw the young defensive end miss 14 games. He suffered a torn ACL during Week 2, landing on injured reserve.
"Like Saquon Barkley (who did not make the honorary roster), Bosa missed all but two games of the 2020 season with an ACL tear," wrote Shook, "but his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign and sky-high potential still stand as a stronger case than others considered (i.e., Brian Burns). Bosa was only the second rookie to post nine or more sacks, 15-plus tackles for loss and 25-plus QB hits since 2006. The other player in that elite club? Von Miller. We expect Bosa to resume his journey in 2021 as the same problem-causing edge rusher who recorded four sacks in the postseason in 2019."
Bosa also recorded 47 tackles, an interception, and two passes defensed during that impressive rookie campaign. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
Warner has started 16 regular season games in each of his three NFL seasons. The linebacker has also led the team in tackles in each season since San Francisco made him a third-round draft pick out of BYU in 2018. He earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors this past season.
"Warner is the premier linebacker of this age group, and frankly, it's not all that close between him and the next player on this team," wrote Shook. "Warner was the only linebacker to make Next Gen Stats' ranking of the top 10 coverage defenders of 2020, posting numbers that were simply freakish for a second-level defender. He had the highest PFF coverage grade among all linebackers (91.1), and the second-highest mark among all players regardless of position. His first-team All-Pro selection was well-deserved, and it's about time the 49ers reward him with a new deal."
The 24-year-old defender is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal.
