Not only did Bosa win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors from the Associated Press, but he also was named the league’s best overall rookie while garnering Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year honors and the Pro Football Writers of America NFL Rookie of the Year Award. The No. 2 overall selection of the 2019 draft, Bosa earned those accolades with his dominant play in the defensive trenches that earned him a place high on this list of the Greatest Rookie Defenders in 49ers history.
1 Ronnie Lott: San Francisco’s first-round draft pick in 1981 was a dominating defensive force from the moment he stepped on the field, setting the early tone for the team’s two-decade dynasty while earning first-team AllPro honors and leading the 49ers to their first Super Bowl title. Returning three of his seven interceptions for touchdowns, Lott would have been NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, too, if he hadn’t entered the league the same year as a guy named Lawrence Taylor — the only player in history to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in his rookie season.
This story is from the March/April 2020 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the March/April 2020 edition of Niner Report.
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EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Set 49ers lineup still has several new starters
Calling all cornerbacks
Loss of Verrett exposes 49ers’ thin depth at CB
Always finding their way to run
49ers system accomplished at developing homegrown talent
ANOTHER COMEBACK?
Resilient veteran Verrett to miss rest of season
TOP 10 Rookie running backs
THE BACK LIST
STOCK UP STOCK DOWN
DEOMMODORE LENOIR | AMBRY THOMAS
Will Mostert run for 49ers again?
Raheem Mostert was primed this year to be the centerpiece of one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses, featured as the lead performer in San Francisco’s grinding rushing attack while making his climb among the league’s top running backs.
THE WONDER OF WARNER
49ers make All-Pro star highest-paid LB in NFL
Making the right choice at QB
In the weeks that follow after you read this — and perhaps sometime even sooner than that — Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers organization will make a titanic decision that will have present, future and perhaps even everlasting implications for the franchise. It will chart the course for the team’s pivotal 2021 season while determining whether San Francisco really does have the juice to return to powerhouse status and again be considered a legitimate contender to get back to the Super Bowl.
TOP 10 Linebacker seasons
Fred Warner vaulted to stardom with a spectacular 2020 season — and the 49ers rewarded him this summer with a $95.225 million deal that makes him the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history. By today’s standards, Warner’s performance last year was worth the money as he posted an Approximate Value of 19 — matching the highest score ever recorded by a San Francisco defender according to a Pro Football Reference formula that puts a single number on each player-season across all positions since 1960. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman (twice) also had seasons with an AV of 19 as they dominate this list of the greatest individual seasons by a linebacker in 49ers history.
