Brandon Moore Looking For Big Year

Linebacker Brandon Moore was one of the lone bright spots from last year's unit. Moore signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Oklahoma in 2002. He had a career year in '06, leading the team in tackles (114) and sacks (6½ ). Moore has continued to show steady improvement every year, establishing himself as a full-time starter. A key aspect to Moore's success is his versatility. In college, he spent his first two seasons at middle linebacker before being moved to the outside for his final two year. Moore excelled in both positions and was a valued member of the Sooners' 2000 National championship squad. With that in mind, it's hard to believe that such a productive player at a major university slipped through the cracks and went undrafted.

Nevertheless, the 49ers have utilized Moore's versatility effectively the past two seasons. After beginning last year as a backup, he started two games at outside linebacker, but then an injury to Jeff Ulbrich forced the club to move Moore inside. He was clearly up for the challenge.

In his first start, a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings , Moore was a beast. He led the team to victory with 15 tackles, two forced fumbles and a sack, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Throughout the remainder of the season, Moore continued to play at a very high level.

Expectations are high for this year's club. If Moore can duplicate or even surpass last season's numbers, there's a good chance that the 49ers will be in good position to return to the playoffs for the first time since the defender's rookie campaign.