Third-year linebacker Dee Winters must have taken notice when the San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick in last April's NFL Draft on Oklahoma State backer Nick Martin.
The hard-hitting prospect was immediately viewed as a day-one replacement for now-Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw, whose free-agent departure was clearly the Niners' No. 1 loss from a turbulent offseason of player departures.
Winters, who seemed to be ticketed for Greenlaw's stead prior to the draft, suddenly found himself on the periphery.
Well, at least until mandatory minicamp came and went.
Granted, San Francisco essentially has two open spots for starting linebackers behind the All-Pro, Fred Warner. But that'd only be in base formations, and the 49ers typically deploy nickel packages with only two linebackers on the field.
Whoever seizes the No. 2 spot behind Warner is going to have a significantly higher field presence, and considering his own speciality on developing linebackers, it's a competition that'll be of serious interest to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who originally helped mold the initial Warner-Greenlaw pairing years ago.
Winters wants to make sure he's the name to watch here.
Dee Winters vs. Nick Martin is a premiere position battle to watch
Winters saw ample field time last season, especially with Greenlaw sidelined for most of the year with injuries. But the former's fate entering 2025 was largely influenced by the position's overall ineffectiveness behind Warner, although one could argue this was highlighted by no-longer-with-the-Niners linebacker De'Vondre Campbell's controversial presence.
The former TCU product managed to get into 15 games last season, starting 10 of them and gradually seeing more of the field than Campbell, which bade well for his immediate future. Well, at least until Martin was drafted.
Martin's presence is a threat to Winters potentially starting, and the two enjoyed some heightened moments during San Francisco's two-day minicamp.
As far as Winters' early efforts, The Athletic's Matt Barrows recorded:
"He seemed more confident and aggressive than in previous years, both on run defense and in the passing game. His pass breakup on a deep seam-route throw to receiver Isaiah Hodgins — offenses drool over receiver-linebacker matchups — was one of the defensive highlights of the spring. Winters will have to hold off Martin in training camp, but he heads into the summer with momentum."
The rookie doesn't seem to be giving up on the competition, though, according to Barrows:
"Like nearly every other rookie, Martin played with the second-team group. The velocity with which he closes in on ball carriers stands out, and his training camp battle with Winters might be the best of the summer."
The 49ers eagerly want an adequate Greenlaw replacement, and whether it's via Martin's rookie presence or Winters' response to it doesn't matter as much as getting the best option on the field alongside Warner.
So far, it certainly appears as if this depth-chart battle will be one to watch when the Niners return to the field for training camp.
Read more from Niner Noise