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San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan sat down with the team's newest additions, running back Jerick McKinnon and center Weston Richburg, and hosted a 30-minute press conference with reporters on Thursday afternoon.
McKinnon was signed to a four-year deal worth $30 million on Wednesday while Richburg received a five-year, $47.5 million deal to join the 49ers.
As he said via a statement issued by the team on Wednesday, Lynch reaffirmed that McKinnon and Richburg were the 49ers' top two targets on their priority list.
"To land them, that's pretty special for us," he told the media.
Shanahan explained what made the two players the team's top priorities headed into free agency.
"It always starts with the tape for me, and these guys were as impressive as anyone at their position on tape. And then everything else goes to the type of people they are," he said.
The 49ers' starting running back last season, Carlos Hyde, has departed via free agency to the Cleveland Browns. McKinnon will be the team's featured back. Shanahan went on to explain in more detail what he saw in McKinnon that impressed him.
"When it comes to a running back, it starts with how they run the ball," he said. "I think he's an extremely good runner since college. It was hard to evaluate him in college because he was a quarterback, but he was a very good running quarterback. He could throw a little bit too, but I always knew he had running skills.
"Then to be able to study him on NFL film where he was actually at the running back position and to be able to see that he can make people miss, and he can create arm tackles, and he has the strength and the power to break those arm tackles.
"Then what is a huge bonus on him is when you talk about the pass game. When it comes to separating and beating linebackers and safeties in man-to-man coverage, I definitely think he's an issue for teams. I think this league, when it comes to third downs and things like that, you move the chains based off of matchups, which allows you to get points in the long run.
"I think Jerick is very versatile and we can do a lot of things with him."
Shanahan went on to discuss Richburg, who is the 49ers' undisputed starting center following the
trade of Daniel Kilgore to the Miami Dolphins.
"When you have a center in our offense that can play at the level that Weston can, it gives a huge advantage," Shanahan said. "When you have guys who can read shades on their own, when you don't need the help of the guard, and things like that, the types of personnel groupings you can get into and stuff, it adds a lot to your offense.
"I've been around some real good [centers] in my career. He's put it all on tape, and he looks right there with all those guys. That's why I value him a ton off the tape. I didn't know a ton about him until I turned on the tape and it was as good as I've seen."
Shanahan went on to say that after looking at the tape, the team then looks into who the player is as a person.
"Everything we found out, just from his work ethic, everything that I say is very important to us, he's off the charts in those areas too," he said. "So I think he can add a lot of things to our run game, to our pass game, and make a lot of other guys' jobs easier as it is."
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers traded up from the No. 31 overall pick to the No. 25 spot with their sights set on a wide receiver brimming with potential. It was the first year of COVID, so NFL teams conducted their drafts remotely, providing fans with a unique glimpse into team decision-makers' makeshift home war rooms.
Almost immediately after Aiyuk heard his name called, fans caught a glimpse of the reactions from head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.
In honor of Draft Day, let's throw it back to Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch's reaction to drafting Brandon Aiyuk
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
NFL Communications has officially announced the "NFL legends and active players" who will announce selections during Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Representing the San Francisco 49ers will be former defensive tackle Anthony "Spice" Adams, who spent four seasons with the team and nine in the NFL.
San Francisco selected Adams out of Penn State in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
The NFL's full announcement is below.
In the NFL's continuous effort to connect the game's greats with the next generation of stars, NFL Legends and active players will add to the excitement of the 2024 NFL Draft by announcing various selections and participating in festivities in Detroit.
Pro Football Hall of Famers Isaac
