The NFL Top 100, a list the players on which are voted by NFL players themselves, returned yesterday to give the top 11-30 players ahead of the 2021 season.
On that list was San Francisco star linebacker Fred Warner, who came in at No. 21, which was the highest off-ball linebacker ranking.
Warner was an All-Pro last season, and followed his spectacular year with a massive five-year, $95 million extension that ranked as the highest linebacker contract for a mere week, as Colts linebacker Darius Leonard received a five-year deal north of $100 million shortly after.
At No. 21, Warner ranked ahead of fellow linebackers Bobby Wagner, who was 25th, Devin White, who was 28th, and and Leonard, who was 37th.
Last weekend, the top 41-100 were released and a couple of familiar faces returned to the list for the 49ers, while a couple of new faces entered and an old face left.
While Jimmy Garoppolo was the 43rd ranked player entering last season, an injury-riddled 2020 put him out of the top 100 this season.
On the contrary, Trent Williams and Kyle Juszczyk entered the list after ranking outside of the top 100 in 2020.
It was Juszczyk's first time on the list and he slotted in at No. 97, which was a tad bit surprising, given that the fullback position is not a staple in the modern NFL.
Williams came in at No. 42 after a dominant season in San Francisco, where he re-established himself as a Pro-Bowler. In 2019, Williams did not play due to a holdout with the then-Washington Redskins over disputes with handling injuries, so it makes sense that he didn't crack the list that season.
Speaking of players returning to the list, George Kittle came in at 50th this year after being 7th in 2020, which was largely attributed to his injuries, as he was limited to only eight games last season.
However, in those games, Kittle delivered an impressive 48 catches for 634 yards, which would've put him well over 1,000 yards on a 16-game pace.
What do you think of Warner's ranking? Is it too high, at a good spot, or too low?
- Rohan Chakravarthi
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Written by:Writer/Reporter for 49ers Webzone
