Fred Warner told his teammates what was coming. Then he did it.

Before he forced a fumble against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia, the 49ers linebacker called his shot. “I’m gonna find that rock. Y’all just hold him up for me. Y’all just hold him up for me, I’m gonna find it,” Warner said. Moments later, he punched the ball out, and later took a swipe at the Rams for their botched travel tactic in Week 1.

“I would say just working out with him in the offseason a couple of times, doing some boxing. A lot of it comes from training it. He trains it, and he does it at a high level. Right now, he’s the best at doing it,” Willis said.

The film shows why. Warner’s punch is precise, like a missile with a target. Many defenders swat at the ball, but Warner drives his fist through it, and that follow-through is what turns a punch into a turnover.

The numbers support Willis. Warner has three forced fumbles in five games this season, tied for the most in the NFL with five other players. He got there in the fewest games of the group.

Most of the others are pass rushers, so Warner is one of the few off-ball linebackers at that level. He has only 0.5 sacks this year, which means his takeaways come in coverage and run support, not from rushing the passer.

His career total is even more unusual. Warner has 20 forced fumbles since he entered the league in 2018, the fourth-most in the NFL in that span. The three players ahead of him are T.J. Watt (36), Khalil Mack (27) and Myles Garrett (22), all pass rushers.

He has done it while staying on the field. Only Kyle Van Noy and Foyesade Oluokun have played as many games as Warner’s 127 over that stretch, and neither is near 20 forced fumbles.

His one major interruption came last season, when he broke and dislocated his ankle in Week 6 and needed season-ending surgery. He had signed a three-year, $63 million extension in May 2025, which made him the NFL’s highest-paid linebacker.

Opponents are taking notice. After Warner punched the ball out of his hands in Seattle last week, Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson said he would change how he practices.

“When we got our individual period time, just having guys punch at the ball. Everybody really. And I’m going to talk to the defense, the scout team defense, and ask them to just punch at the ball a little more,” Wilson said.

Willis also sees something familiar in the current 49ers linebackers. Asked whether Warner and Dre Greenlaw remind him of himself and NaVorro Bowman, he answered right away. “Oh, man, absolutely. Those guys are doing what they’ve done. NaVorro and I had a tremendous time, and they’ve been able to take the standard and raise it. So it’s pretty awesome,” Willis said.