San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner is among the most respected players in the game. Rookie running back Cam Skattebo of the New York Giants said that Warner is the player he is most looking forward to playing against in the NFL.
Skattebo made these comments on a podcast hosted by Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous:
Amon-Ra asked Skattebo who he is most looking forward to going up against and after a brief pause he responded, "Fred."
Skattebo surely meant this as a sign of respect as all good athletes want to see how they measure up against the best in their sport. But, it could still provide a little bulletin board material for Warner who would love to show the young buck he may be asking for more than he bargained for.
The 49ers will square off against the Giants in Week 9 of the 2025 season on Nov. 2, so Skattebo may very well get a chance to see how he will fare against one of the game's best linebackers. The game will be in New York, though, so the Sacramento native will not get to have a homecoming.
Skattebo talked recently about how he thought the Niners were going to select him when he was still available in the NFL Draft. He could have been San Francisco's natural successor to Christian McCaffrey, but the team decided to go the defensive route instead.
The rest of the clip is interesting because Amon-Ra decided to sneak in a little trash talk on the 49ers after Skattebo brought up Fred Warner. He said that Warner is nice before saying, "I feel like we give the Niner's defense work every time."
St. Brown seems to be referring to Detroit's victory over the injury-plagued Niners last season. The irony is that Detroit's defense was so bad, it got bounced in its first playoff game last season against the Washington Commanders after supposedly being a team of destiny.
San Francisco will not face Detroit in the regular season in 2025, but if the teams meet in the playoffs, perhaps defensive coordinator Robert Saleh can pull this clip up to provide some extra motivation.
It will still be interesting to see the impressive young Skattebo go up against Warner in Week 9 assuming both of them are healthy.
Let's hope Warner gives him a nice warm welcome to the NFL by limiting him to as few yards as possible.
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