Dre Greenlaw could be setting himself up for a big season for the 49ers, if what fellow linebacker Fred Warner said about him Thursday is any indication.
Greenlaw, 24, is coming off his second season with the 49ers after being selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He posted 92 tackles, one sack, and one interception as a rookie (along with one unforgettable goal-line stop), then followed it up with 86 tackles and one sack in 13 games last season. Greenlaw and Warner are veterans among a predominantly young 49ers linebacker group, and while Warner has become the group's biggest standout, Greenlaw has been successful in his own right and appears to be in position to take another step in a positive direction this season.
Warner was asked about Greenlaw following Thursday's joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers and responded with some notable praise for what his teammate has shown throughout the last few months.
"Dre's been great this whole training camp, offseason," Warner said. "He's cut down weight a little bit, so he's flying around. He's moving well. He's been physical, as he's ever been."
An improved Greenlaw would be big news for the 49ers defense, according to Warner.
"I tell him, and I'll tell anyone, I think he's the X-factor on our defense," Warner said. "When he's flying around and making plays, our defense looks different. So I'm looking forward to seeing him grow."
Greenlaw has plenty of incentive to put together a big season due to the fact he'll be eligible for his first contract extension next spring. There's no doubt Greenlaw took notice of the five-year, $95 million extension the 49ers gave to Warner in July and is motivated to follow in his footsteps.
"Once he got it, I was happy," Greenlaw said earlier this month, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "There's nobody in our program that deserves it more than him. He's first one in and last one out. Just to be able to play next to somebody who's dedicated to the game and loves it like that. And just to see somebody be able to reap the reward that they worked for, makes you want to go harder and makes you want to look at him even more because he's doing the right things."
Warner, meanwhile, will be motivated by Greenlaw, and all the other young linebackers on the 49ers roster. Warner will lead the way this season and beyond, but he says the enthusiasm shown by Greenlaw and the others will help keep his fire burning.
"They especially drive me because I feel like we're all young, we all have something to prove," Warner said. "We all come out here with a chip on our shoulder. When we step in between the white, that helps us to really get after it when the whistles blow."
