File this under interesting pre-draft tidbits. San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan were in attendance for Alabama's pro day last week. That made headlines because the duo opted to watch quarterback Mac Jones rather than attend Ohio State's pro day to watch Justin Fields. Paired with Chris Simms' speculation that San Francisco might have traded up to the No. 3 spot for Jones, that spurred others to seriously consider a Jones-to-49ers scenario.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently joined the Dan Patrick Show and shared that neither Lynch nor Shanahan asked him anything about his former quarterback, who helped guide the Crimson Tide to a national championship. And it wasn't because they didn't have an opportunity to do so.
"[Kyle Shanahan] didn't ask me a thing," Saban said via Andrew Perloff of the Dan Patrick Show (h/t to Chris Rosvoglou of The Spun). "I stood right next to him. I said hi to him. John Lynch too. They didn't ask me a thing. Maybe they thought they weren't allowed to."
"[Kyle Shanahan] didn't ask me a thing. I stood right next to him. I said hi to him. John Lynch too. They didn't ask me a thing. Maybe they thought they weren't allowed to." - Nick Saban discusses Mac Jones' pro day on @dpshow
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) April 6, 2021
Perhaps the 49ers didn't want to tip their hand. Maybe they left the pro day in Tuscaloosa less impressed with Jones than they hoped to be and didn't need any further information.
Or maybe it means nothing at all.
We may not find out what San Francisco intends to do with the No. 3 overall pick until it is on the clock on April 29. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Jones is the favorite to be drafted by the 49ers.
