ESPN didn't need to come up with a ranking of the NFL's best off-ball linebackers to remind fans that San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner should be No. 1.
But, the sports media outlet did precisely that, and most other fanbases are probably more interested in evaluating who the other nine backers are behind Warner. That's a more compelling argument.
In compiling the data, courtesy of league coaches, executives and scouts, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler had no difficulty placing the perennial All-Pro atop the list, going so far as saying Warner is "in a class by himself" in a social media post sharing the ranking.