In June, San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner was asked who had stood out during the offseason. He didn't hesitate to name one of the young players in the linebacker room—Dee Winters.
"I think Dee's probably had the best OTAs out of anybody on the team," Warner shared. "I feel like he's come along since last year. I remember he came in as a rookie, was struggling to learn the plays, and trying to get in shape, and all those little things that you got to learn as a professional."
That praise meant a lot to Winters, who has worked hard to ensure he can make an impact in his second NFL season.
"It makes me feel good, especially coming from the best linebacker in the league," Winters told reporters after Sunday's practice. "It definitely kind of put a little chip on my shoulder to keep working hard to prove everybody else wrong and just do my job."
Winters was a sixth-round draft pick last year and played only 60 defensive snaps during his rookie 2023 campaign, mainly contributing on special teams. With Dre Greenlaw still recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered in February, Winters has had more opportunities this offseason to show his growth.
Winters was one of two linebackers the 49ers selected in last year's draft, along with Jalen Graham in the seventh round.
"They're just getting better because it's starting to click for them," defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said of the two second-year linebackers. "And I talk about speed, violence, and fitness. To me, a lot of speed is, yeah, you run fast, but speed is also your preparation and your knowledge of the game because you hear veteran guys say it all the time, how the game slowed down for them.
"You look so much faster because it did slow down, because now, you're more comfortable in your understanding. Now, you anticipate based on motions and alignments. The stuff happens as you think it should happen, and now you can go make plays, and that's what you're seeing. Dee almost had a pick today because, again, the game's slowing down, and he's playing faster. Same with Jalen."
Winters acknowledged that the game has significantly slowed down for him compared to his rookie season.
"Last year, my head was kind of everywhere, trying to find my role on the team, and special teams, defense," Winters shared. "There's a new install every day, so my head was kind of spinning, and everything was so fast to me. I think this year, it was great to get a year under my belt, and have a lot of confidence to go in and start playing fast this year."
Winters emphasized that his offseason focused on mastering the fundamentals of playing linebacker in the NFL. He spent a lot of time studying film and the playbook.
"Just kind of managing those things to kind of give me an edge [against] people I'm competing with and taking advantage of that," Winters commented.
Winters and the 49ers will play their first preseason game in six days, an August 10 road matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The young linebacker is eager to start hitting opponents again.
"Oh man, I haven't got to hit anybody in a long time, so I'm definitely looking forward to our first game and definitely excited for that," Winters stated.