During this offseason, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner hasn't been afraid to trash talk his teammates, which has even led to a training camp fight between himself and Brandon Aiyuk.
Warner, one of the vocal leaders on the 49ers' defense, was asked about his choices with his teammates, adding that getting the best out of his peers will only make him better.
"Whatever I can do to help get the most out of my teammates, that's only going to make me better at the end of the day. The more I'm out there talking noise [and] challenging, I have no choice but to be at the top of my game because I'm over there talking all that noise and I'm performing, then it's just talk. You have to back that up with performance [and] execution and I just take a lot of pride in it."
However, Warner believes that trash-talking comes naturally to him as it allows him to encapsulate the truest form of himself, which is the part he likes most about football.
"No, it's natural [to just trash talking go after guys]. You got to be yourself at the end of the day. I never go out there and try do too much other than trying [to be] myself. Whatever you see out there on the field, that's the truest me. I think that's the greatest thing about football, you go out there [and] be the truest form of yourself," Warner said." It's a physical [and] aggressive game, and you just get to let it all out when you're out there."
Warner, who was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, has clearly outperformed his draft-day expectations, making both an All-Pro and a Pro Bowl already.
While Warner believes that he could've been drafted higher, the 25-year-old linebacker is grateful for his landing spot, as the 49ers allowed him to grow into the player he is today.
"Do I think I could've been drafted higher? I guess. But, at the end of the day, I would never have wanted to be drafted anywhere but here. When I came out of little BYU, I was not the Fred Warner you see today. I was somebody that had to be molded and grow in a system for 4-5 years in order to become who I am," Warner said. "I'm super grateful to be drafted to the 49ers under a great coaching staff [with] players who have helped me grow, and I would never take any of that back. I do keep a chip on my shoulder [about] all the things that were said about me coming out, but other than that, I'm super grateful where I was chosen."
Warner was thrust into the spotlight immediately, being a starter in Year 1, but acknowledged that he wasn't at a high level originally.
"Some of it is just opportunity presents itself and you just got to be ready for the moment. They knew I could handle a lot in terms of just the mental side of the game and I had enough physical capability to be out there and run the defense, but I wasn't close to where I needed to be in terms of playing at a high level. That took a lot of growth and development."
Now, Warner, heading into his fifth NFL season, and the 49ers' defense will face their first test of the 2022 NFL season on Sunday when San Francisco plays against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, where the team will look to start the year strong for a second straight year.
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