Social-media speculation ran rampant on Thursday after Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay tweeted out that after attending both Alabama and Ohio State's pro days, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and vice president of player personnel Adam Peters would not attend Kentucky's.
After traveling to Alabama and Ohio State to meet with Quinnen Williams and Nick Bosa, #49ers GM John Lynch and VP of player personnel Adam Peters will not be going to Kentucky on Friday to visit Josh Allen. They are likely to catch up with him later.https://t.co/trT7oafvGn
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) March 21, 2019
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is a top draft prospect out of Alabama, defensive end Nick Bosa is a top prospect out of Ohio State, and linebacker Josh Allen is a top prospect out of Kentucky.
You can see how this might send a signal to football-deprived fans looking for anything to read into while trying to determine who the 49ers might select with the No. 2 overall pick.
Don't jump to any conclusions.
After spending Tuesday and Wednesday on the road, Lynch and Peters were back in Santa Clara on Thursday. Neither Williams nor Bosa participated in their former school's pro days, but each reportedly met with Lynch and Peters. Allen also will not participate in his pro day but is meeting with representatives from NFL teams on Thursday night and Friday.
Lynch's and Peters' absences during Friday's pro day doesn't mean a whole lot and here's why:
- The 49ers can still schedule a pre-draft visit in Santa Clara with Allen, and likely will. Maiocco even notes, "[Lynch and Peters] are likely to catch up with him later."
- Other representatives from the 49ers could make the trip to Lexington, Kentucky.
- While the 49ers did informally meet with defensive lineman Solomon Thomas at Stanford's pro day in 2017, they took an early liking to tackle Mike McGlinchey before the 2018 draft and seemingly ignored him during the rest of the pre-draft process. Even McGlinchey was surprised when San Francisco selected him with the No. 9 overall pick. "I had no idea," he told reporters after the selection was announced.
- You can't read too much into anything an NFL team does or doesn't do leading to the draft. The whole process involves deception and hiding your true intentions, as was the case last year with McGlinchey.
The option to trade down is likely still in the picture. San Francisco owns just six draft picks and has a lot of roster holes to fill. Allen could remain an option for the 49ers should they move down from No. 2.