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At worst, the San Francisco 49ers might have been the second-best team in the NFL last year. They proved that by representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. While the season didn't end the way the team hoped, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have moved past the disappointing defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs and are looking to improve their roster.
San Francisco owns seven draft picks, which it will use this week to bolster that roster. It hopes to add some starters at key positions in addition to creating more depth and building for the future.
The 49ers are in a win-now mode, but keeping in mind that the plan is to continue building toward long-term success. Still, you can't ignore that the team finds itself within a championship window, and those windows tend to close quickly if you make a mistake.
The 49ers don't have the draft equity they have become accustomed to in recent years. With just seven selections, and none between rounds one and five, Lynch, Shanahan, and company need to hit on as many draft picks as possible.
But is having just seven selections a problem? Lynch doesn't necessarily believe so.
The 49ers may lack picks in rounds two, three, and four, but the general manager views the situation differently than most, at least when it comes to that missing second-round pick.
"Looking back now, we don't have a second (round) pick," Lynch told reporters via his pre-draft Zoom conference call on Monday, "but I think our second round pick last year was a pretty good one, and that's Dee Ford.
"I understand that Dee didn't play as much as we would have wanted him to. His body didn't allow for that last year. What I do know is when he was [out] there, we were a different team. So, would we change that? Absolutely not. I don't think we're at the Super Bowl without that."
The lack of third- and fourth-round selections came courtesy of a trade for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who played in just 13 games with the 49ers before leaving via free agency for the New Orleans Saints. While some may see that as a wasted opportunity, Lynch does not.
It is worth noting that the 49ers acquired a fifth-round selection, giving them two, as part of the deal with the Denver Broncos for Sanders.
"I think Emmanuel made us better," Lynch explained. "He helped us get to the Super Bowl. So, do you trade that? Do you wish you had that back, at this point? No. You wish you had draft picks, but in my mind, it was worth it."
Lynch knows the 49ers have to make their seven (assuming it stays at that number) draft picks count because it will be tougher than ever for an incoming rookie to fight his way up the depth chart. It may even be tough to make the roster at all.
"We already have a lot of guys signed, so there's not a ton of roster spots," Lynch continued. "We have one of the better rosters in football, in my mind, and so it's going to be real hard for draft picks to make this (team), as well.
"I don't think it'd be a great year to have 10 draft picks. I think it's going to be hard to make this team, so we've got to make them count. That's the feeling every year, but especially this year with very few (picks).
"We've got to make every pick that we make, whether it be the number 13 pick, the 31st pick, if we were to move out of those, or they're our fifth- or sixth- or seventh-round picks, that we really make them count."
San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch and Offensive Line coach Chris Foerster were in Seattle on Saturday scouting prospects of the Washington Huskies. While Washington has multiple talented draft prospects, the fact that Foerster was accompanying Lynch is notable considering Washington has two offensive linemen who are getting a lot of attention—Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten.
Per source, John Lynch, Chris Foerster looked at several Washington draft prospects today. Huskies are loaded with draft talent, including …WR: Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillanOL: Troy Fautanu, Roger RosengartenEDGE:
With the 2024 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, NFL Media draft analyst Chad Reuter recently identified the ideal top two draft picks for each team. The San Francisco 49ers have 10 selections in the upcoming draft, with their first two picks at No. 31 overall and No. 63.
Reuter noted, "I kept some semblance of realism in this process, however, assigning each player only once and making reasonable projections of where prospects may be selected."
Who are the standout picks for the 49ers? Reuter envisions the team addressing both offense and defense with their initial selections. It's widely anticipated that San Francisco will bolster its offensive line with
It is less than two weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers finally have a first-round draft pick, after not having one the last two years. Who will they select? Will it be a defensive player? An offensive player? They could use help on the offensive line and in the secondary and defensive line. And they may also have multiple holes to fill a year from now.
Either way, the 49ers need to hit on these draft picks, especially in the early rounds, where they haven't always been at their best. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have some first-round misses, like DT Solomon Thomas and LB Rueben Foster. But are those the worst first-round picks in team history? Neither made this list, though some will argue that Thomas should be on it, mainly because he was taken
Brock Purdy isn't one to seek the spotlight. He exudes politeness, respect, and an even-keeled demeanor when speaking to reporters during interviews. Nothing we've seen from the San Francisco 49ers quarterback's time off the field would indicate that it's a facade.
However, on the field, Purdy can show some fire, particularly after a big play or in an effort to ensure his teammates are on the same page as him. While praising the third-year quarterback, one unnamed former NFL executive expressed a desire to see more of that fire from Purdy in the future, believing it is crucial to his development.
"Brock Purdy is one of the most talented arms that I've seen," the former executive recently
