LAS VEGAS -- Dre Greenlaw knows a thing or two about pushing buttons. While the stat sheet declares the San Francisco 49ers linebacker one of the game's busiest defenders, the fifth-year veteran is perhaps just as well known for scrapping with opponents. But his willingness to "toe the line" is maybe the biggest reason the 49ers celebrate him internally, especially ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
"He doesn't get half the respect he deserves," three-time All-Pro teammate Fred Warner said Monday at Opening Night. "He's a Pro Bowl, All-Pro [caliber] player, doesn't care about the recognition at all; he just wants to go out there and play football every Sunday. ... And you know, he toes the line, right, in terms of different things. But that's what makes him him, and that's exactly why I love going out to war with him every single Sunday. He plays the game the right way."
Can Warner sense that opposing teams fear Greenlaw when they're on the field?
"Absolutely," Warner said. "Absolutely."
#49ers star Fred Warner calls Dre Greenlaw his most underrated teammate: “He toes the line” with his physicality, but other teams fear him, and San Francisco loves it. #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/u58dAdqTmB
— Cody Benjamin (@CodyJBenjamin) February 6, 2024
But it's not just Greenlaw's imposing edge that draws Warner's praise, and/or the trust of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. It's the fact the former fifth-round draft pick so often pairs the physicality with a natural athleticism. This is where the stat sheet comes back into play, for it doesn't take long to realize the depth of Greenlaw's impact across the 49ers "D." A year after logging a career-high six pass breakups to go along with two forced fumbles, he cleared 120 tackles for the second straight season, then turned it up in the playoffs, leading San Francisco with two pass deflections and two interceptions going into the Super Bowl.
"He's such a great athlete," Warner said, "and such a great football player."
Matched up with the Kansas City Chiefs, Greenlaw is a prime candidate to monitor star tight end Travis Kelce, who thrives as a safety valve for Patrick Mahomes over the middle of the field, as well as attack the backfield and flats for the tough-running Isiah Pacheco.
If he can do those things well, he may no longer be Warner's most underrated teammate. He may just be the most lauded.
Super Bowl LVIII between the 49ers and Chiefs goes down Feb. 11 on CBS. The game will also be broadcast on Nickelodeon and streamed on Paramount+.
