49ers: McCaffrey, Warner join Bosa, Juszczyk, Williams as Pro Bowl fan favorites
SANTA CLARA — Running back Christian McCaffrey and linebacker Fred Warner surged in a late push at the online ballot box to finish among five 49ers who won the fans’ vote for the Pro Bowl.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, offensive tackle Trent Williams, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk also finished with the most votes at their respective positions in the fan voting, which counts for a third of the election process. Coaches and players account for the rest of the votes, and the actual Pro Bowl selections will be unveiled Wednesday (5 p.m., NFL Network).
The all-star game, which has switched to a flag football format, will be held Feb. 5 in Las Vegas.
The 49ers drew more fan votes than any other team and, as a result, 17 different Niners cracked the top 10 at their positions. Here is a closer look at those 49ers:
Bosa: The NFL’s sack leader (15 1/1) drew the most fan votes of any 49er, racking up 239,151 as fellow defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson (Lions), Myles Garrett (Browns) , Maxx Crosby (Raiders) and Brian Burns (Panthers) rounded out the top five.
McCaffrey: Maybe Thursday night’s division-clinching win at Seattle (138 total yards, one touchdown) helped push atop the running back standings, ahead of Saquon Barkley (Giants), Derrick Henry (Titans), Josh Jacobs (Raiders) and Nick Chubb (Browns).
Warner: The vocal leader of the NFL’s No. 1 defense worked his way up the top-10 list the past month to collect 149,521 votes. Linebackers he passed included Nick Bolton (Chiefs), Jordyn Brooks (Seahawks), Roquan Smith (Ravens) and C.J. Mosely (Jets), while 49ers teammate Dre Greenlaw finally surfaced at No. 6.
Williams: In surely locking up his 10th Pro Bowl nod, Williams received 134,491 votes. The Eagles’ Lane Johnson finished runner-up in fan voting.
Juszczyk: On his way to a seventh straight Pro Bowl, Juszczyk collected 227,484 votes. Only two fullbacks make the Pro Bowl, and in second place for fan votes was Miami’s Alec Ingold.
George Kittle: Seeking his fourth Pro Bowl, Kittle climbed from No. 4 last week to the No. 2 tight end spot with 201,905 votes, behind the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce (248,279 votes).
Taybor Pepper: He placed second among long snappers behind the Minnesota Vikings’ Andrew DePaola.
Talanoa Hufanga: His breakout season (team-high four interceptions) grabbed fans’ attention as he placed third behind Derwin James (Chargers) and Harrison Smith (Vikings).
Ray-Ray McCloud: His first season as the 49ers’ return specialist garnered him the NFL’s third-most fan votes.
Mitch Wishnowsky: Only Tress Way (Commanders) and Johnny Heckker (Panthers) got more fan votes for punters.
Robbie Gould: The NFL’s 10th all-time leading scorer mustered only the fourth-most votes among kickers, behind Justin Tucker (Ravens), Daniel Carlson (Raiders) and Jason Myers (Seahawks).
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles: This reserve linebacker placed fourth as a special teams player; ex-49er Nick Bellore (Seahawks) placed third.
Dre Greenlaw: His career-best season could earn him his first Pro Bowl selection, even though he only placed sixth in fan voting after being ignored the past month in the top-10 count.
Aaron Banks: His first full season as a starter won him the ninth-most votes among guards.
Jake Brendel: His first full season as a starter won him the ninth-most votes among centers.
Deebo Samuel: After making All-Pro and the Pro Bowl last season, Samuel drew the ninth-most fan votes among receivers, behind Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Jaylen Waddle, Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Davante Adams and Terry McLaurin; CeeDee Lamb was 10th.
Charvarius Ward: He’s the best cornerback the 49ers have had since Richard Sherman in 2019, and he ranked ninth in fan voting.