The 49ers are hopeful they can fill the void left by Dre Greenlaw with a young player who can learn from his former running mate Fred Warner, and one candidate to take on that role already has an encouraging seal of approval from the four-time first-team All-Pro.
San Francisco had hoped to maintain the partnership between Warner and Greenlaw but saw the latter depart for the Denver Broncos in free agency.
Though the 49ers did not bring in a veteran to take his place — with the signing of Luke Gifford one geared more towards improving the special teams — the selection of Nick Martin in the third round of this year’s draft out of Oklahoma State set the stage for an intriguing position battle.