Lynch, Shanahan address 49ers fans’ concerns on team drafting players with ACL histories

The San Francisco 49ers looked like the organization of old when they selected several players with histories of knee injuries. It was something the previous regime would do, and the moves never worked out for the team.

One of those players, N.C. State defensive end Kentavius Street, isn't likely to see any playing time in 2018. His ACL injury occurred during a private workout with the New York Giants just a few weeks ago.

49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are well aware of the perception from fans whenever a player who is coming off an injury (or suffered a serious injury during his career) is selected.

"I think we're aware of that," Lynch said. "We're not trying to make popular picks, we're trying to make good picks, and we were very convicted that this was just that. We care about our fans. We love their input. We love their passion. We may have been told about that history. Sure, you know about it. We can't let that affect us.

"[Shanahan and I] came in with our philosophy and we've got to stick true to those. We aren't looking for guys like that, but when you find a guy you really like, sometimes you've got to be patient. We're willing to be patient if it's worth it and we feel like it's worth it in this case."

Shanahan also provided his thoughts on the matter.

"That is hard," he said. "It's hard for fans, it's hard for John, it's hard for coaches. I mean, you want to improve right away. Usually, you can come up with a better decision or talk yourself into something else when you get to that spot. I think that shows how we felt about the player."