Patrick Willis vs Fred Warner
By: Jake Rajala
The San Francisco 49ers have been fortunate to have All-Pro middle linebackers over the past decade. The OG stud at MLB is none other than Patrick Willis. The latest star is Fred Warner.
Willis was first team All-Pro five times in his eight seasons. He was first team AP and DROY at the same time. Furthermore, he made eight Pro Bowls. He led the league in tackles twice.
He recorded 950 tackles, 60 TFLs, 53 pass deflections, and 20.5 sacks in his career.
Unfortunately, Willis never won a Super Bowl.
Willis retired early in his career. We also saw Luke Kuechly only play eight seasons, as well.
Fred Warner is special. He’s a star against the pass and the run. Thus far, Warner has been first-team All-Pro four times. Warner has already played eight seasons. I expect him to continue to play at 28 years old.
So far, Warner has notched 916 tackles, 38 TFLs, 54 pass deflections, and 10 sacks. As you can see Willis has a bit more impressive stats in the same amount of times.
Warner has been off to a hot start in 2025. He was just named NFC Defensive Player of The Week. If he can get AP honors in each of the next few seasons, I’ll switch my vote to Warner.
Just like Willis, Warner has never won a Super Bowl. I believe that Warner has a realistic chance. He plays on an offense that was better than Willis’s offense. Warner also has Nick Bosa, who is a Top-5 DE, to help him.im
Let’s not forget the ultimate x-factor: Kyle Shanahan. He has been to the Super Bowl a couple of times.
In the end, I have to give the edge to Willis. He was the best MLB over several years. Willis won a couple of first team All-Pro nods early in his career, which gives him the slight edge. Even with Navoro Bowman, Willis stood his ground and was ranked the best MLB. I really believe he was snubbed by not getting a spot on the 2010 decade team.
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