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The 49ers Player Who Will Improve Most in 2021

Let's call this the Fred Warner Award.

Let's call this the Fred Warner Award.

I just invented it. It goes to the player who improves the most in a given year. In 2020, it went to Warner -- hence the name of the award. He clearly improved more than any other 49ers player. And the year before, it was George Kittle.

Who will improve most in 2021?

I recently asked that question to fellow All49ers writers Maverick Pallack and Nick Newman. Maverick made a case for Brandon Aiyuk, because Aiyuk was a candidate for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2020, so he's got lots of talent to work with. And if he gets to play with the same quarterback for the entire season, his numbers could explode.

Nick made a case for Jeff Wilson Jr., who has been so productive in a limited role. Most people expect his role to increase next season if he stays healthy because he played well in 2020 when other running backs got injured -- he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns despite missing a quarter of the season with a high-ankle sprain. And he didn't get the ball much early in the season even when he was healthy. So he's due to break out.

I picked Dre Greenlaw, the linebacker who will enter his third season in the NFL this year, and his first season as a Day 1 starter in the nickel defense. Greenlaw had been a base-defense player until midway through his second season, meaning he was a part-time player. Now, he won't come off the field. And people around the country to will start to take notice of Fred Warner's running mate.

The rest of the league will notice that Greenlaw is faster than Warner and hits more violently than him, too. People will understand the 49ers a tandem of excellent linebackers, not just one. And they'll be a Pro Bowl tandem next season.