San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York took a moment on Wednesday to speak to Steve Wyche on NFL Network about the team's quarterback situation and the timeframe in turning things around. The two spoke following the press conference to officially announce former 49ers fullback Tom Rathman's induction into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Hall of Fame.
On Monday, a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network emerged stating that the 49ers were giving serious consideration to drafting a quarterback with the second overall selection. More specifically, Rapoport identified Mitchell Trubisky of North Carolina as the potential target.
York was asked if the 49ers need to address the quarterback position in this year's draft. "You need to get the best players, wherever they are, whatever you need to do," York said. "You need to find the best players and it's proven that if you don't have a superstar quarterback, you're probably not getting to the Super Bowl and you're probably not winning a Super Bowl."
49ers CEO Jed York: 'You need to find the best players'
Some question the use of such a high selection on a quarterback like Trubisky, who has just one college season as a starter on his resume. Of course, the Cleveland Browns have been rumored as being high on Trubisky as well – possibly to the point of passing on Texas A&M edge defender Myles Garrett.
There are also reports that the Browns have been in contact with several teams in the top eight of the draft order to gauge the possibility of moving up from their second selection – currently the 12th overall – in an effort to acquire both Garrett and Trubisky. The 49ers presumably could be one of the teams that Cleveland has been in contact with.
"I can tell you with number two, there have been calls," 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Monday. "There's been interest. But, I think nothing specific. It's coveted. When you have a pick that high, I think that's natural. Again, my first time doing this, but we have received calls and I can tell you that we feel really good about where we're at with the number two pick in terms of us narrowing down options and feeling really good about where we're at."
In an effort to acquire more picks, Lynch and the 49ers would listen to any offers for their second overall selection. However, they are also fine with remaining at the number two spot.
"We're going to listen right up until draft day, but otherwise, we're going to pick a player at two that we feel is a cornerstone for this franchise for years to come and we'll be very passionate about that pick and what that player can do for us moving forward," Lynch said.
Lynch was also asked if the 49ers would consider a quarterback with the second overall selection. "Yeah," he answered. "I think we've stated from the beginning that a franchise quarterback is something we believe is essential to winning in this league."
On Wednesday, Wyche went on to ask York if there was a sense of urgency while trying to build a winning football team or is there a significant line of patience? After all, both Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan received unprecedented six-year contracts to join the 49ers.
"The important thing is that these guys are going to be here for a while and we'd all love to win this year," York said. "We'd all love to get to where we want to go but we're a two-win team and I'm seeing the things that you need to see in the offseason. You know, the new strength coach, Ray Wright, they're doing a great job of getting the guys to buy in and really starting to work hard and that all starts today."