3 San Francisco 49ers who can become the next Fred Warner

Warner was a diamond in the rough once upon a time.

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Kyle Shanahan had a notable coaching moment this season, showing his young San Francisco 49ers defense the videos of a young Fred Warner.

It instilled the message that Warner was just a young player trying to prove himself at one point, too, and any of them could step into the role as the next Warner. If the 49ers' defense is going to keep going strong all season, who are some players that can ascend into that status?

Malik Mustapha

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Everything about the first season for Mustapha said that he was the next 49ers defender to enter stardom. Then, he tore his ACL in the final game of his rookie season. Still, Mustapha only missed the first five games, as he has hit his recovery hard. 

He has not played a full game yet, but his impact in the back end is felt when he is on the field. If he can show he is healthy and start playing full games, he could be the game-changer who changes the course of the defense. 

The secondary is looking for someone to make an impact, and Mustpha can improve a lot of the communication that they are losing with Warner. That is what could turn him into a leader on this unit.

Alfred Collins 

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In Week 1, Collins played just 17% of the defensive snaps and looked like a dud. By Week 5, he was making a game-changing play at the goal line, and by Week 7, he was at a career-high 60% of the defensive snaps, leading all interior linemen. 

Collins has ascended to the best run defender already. Fred Warner may have high expectations for the second-round pick, but Collins could be turning into the next DJ Jones, which may be valuable enough for the 49ers this year. 

Look for Collins to get even more work during the late stretch of the season. 

Tatum Bethune 

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Why not? The 49ers replace Fred Warner, and a star emerges. All Bethune did in college was play middle linebacker on a defense that went undefeated. He fell in the draft because he did not have the size, speed, and other attributes that were not major issues on his video.

He is a competent linebacker, and he played with his hair on fire in Week 7. It amounted to being in on ten tackles. If he can continue to find his instincts in coverage, he could become a stud.