PFF: The 49ers Have the NFL’s 2nd-Best Linebacker Unit

The 49ers under Kyle Shanahan aren’t Super Bowl Champions, but they are the best team in the NFL on paper according to Pro Football Focus.

PFF recently said that the 49ers have the best running back room, the best group of receivers, the second-best head coach and the second-best defensive line in the NFL. Now, PFF says the 49ers have the second-best linebacker unit in the NFL even though Dre Greenlaw currently is recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in February.

“Fred Warner, arguably the best linebacker in the NFL right now, has earned PFF grades above 80.0 in each of the past four seasons.,” writes PFF analyst Gordon McGuiness. “The 49ers would have a case for the No. 1 spot if not for Dre Greenlaw’s injury in the Super Bowl, making his availability to start the 2024 season a question mark. But in signing De’Vondre Campbell, who has earned PFF grades above 65.0 in each of the past three seasons, they have given themselves a cushion.”

I agree with McGuiness that the 49ers would have the best linebacker duo in the NFL if Greenlaw were healthy, but he’s not. And Greenlaw is an excellent player, perhaps the most underrated player on the 49ers. His absence should drop the 49ers’ ranking more than just one measly spot.

There’s no way the 49ers have the second-best linebacker unit in the NFL without Greenlaw. He’s the tone-setter on the defense, the player who hits the hardest and runs the fastest from sideline to sideline. He’s a perfect complement for Warner who’s a finesse coverage specialist.

Fortunately for the 49ers, Greenlaw should return at some point this year.