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Justin Fields took part in a workout this week in Columbus, Ohio, in front of potential suitors, including head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers. That has caused the former Buckeye's stock to rise, and he is now the favorite to be drafted at No. 3 overall by the Niners.
It was Fields' second pro day-style workout. His first took place on March 30. However, Shanahan and Lynch were not in attendance for that one. Wednesday's workout gave the 49ers' brain trust its first opportunity to watch the incoming rookie quarterback.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes there is at least one aspect of the throwing session that might have left Shanahan and Lynch impressed.
"I think there's some NCAA rules about who can go run routes for him," Breer told Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show. "So two weeks ago, whenever the first pro day was, they had Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson running routes for Justin, and for one reason or another, by rule, those guys couldn't do it again. It's NCAA draft rules, whatever it is.
"So, they had to do it with new guys this time around. So Justin was throwing to two freshmen this time. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming were the two kids. And my understanding is, Justin was, as the workout was going on, coaching these guys up on routes, and how to run this route, and how to run that route."
It may seem like a little thing, but it could be important considering some have curiously questioned Fields' work ethic. The 49ers head coach may have appreciated it more than others.
"[I]f you look at Kyle Shanahan's background, it's in receivers," Breer continued. "He was a receiver at Texas, right? And so, I think getting to see Justin's intricate knowledge of the way that the receivers should run routes, the way he wanted them to run routes, where Justin's head is with all these questions that have come up on him, I think it's just sort of an interesting detail, and maybe something that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch can take away from the experience."
Some analysts feel the 49ers went into last month's trade with an idea of who they wanted to target. How could a team pull off such a blockbuster trade without having someone specific in mind? However, Breer feels the team feels there are five quarterbacks with genuine first-round talent. So, at the No. 3 spot, it is guaranteed to have an option of at least three good prospects whom it likes.
Ultimately, it will likely be Shanahan's decision on which quarterback best fits what he wants to do moving forward.
49ers' John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan discuss Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
By Site Staff
Apr 26
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters after the second day of the 2024 NFL Draft. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
We were just on the conference call with OL Dominick Puni and he suggested that you guys are probably looking at him as a guard, obviously he played tackle as well. What's the plan for him?
John Lynch: "Yeah, our belief is that we're going to start him on the inside as a guard. But the cool thing about Dominick is, it's not often you can say this about a player, that he can play all five. And we believe that's the case with him. He snapped in practice, he snapped in the Senior Bowl
John Lynch discusses draft strategy following Day 1; Kyle Shanahan jokes about 49ers' past misses
By David Bonilla
Apr 26
Shortly after the San Francisco 49ers finalized their selection of former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan shared insights with Bay Area radio station KNBR. Reflecting on Day 1's events, Lynch was questioned about the team's approach for the remaining six rounds.
"Well, we will see," Lynch responded thoughtfully, trying not to reveal too much. "We'll get a good sleep right now. We'll wake up. Tomorrow will be a busy day and a fun day. We've got a lot of picks. We just got to make them count; all of them count."
San Francisco has nine more draft picks, barring any trades. The team's next pick is currently the 63rd overall selection toward the end of the second
Lynch and Shanahan discuss implications of drafting Pearsall on 49ers' Aiyuk and Samuel
By David Bonilla
Apr 25
The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising move with the No. 31 overall pick, marking their first Round 1 selection since 2021. While speculation swirled around the possibility of drafting a wide receiver, few anticipated the choice of Ricky Pearsall from Florida.
Leading up to the pick, there was widespread speculation that the 49ers might trade wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. As the first round progressed, it appeared that neither would be moved. Pearsall's selection reignited such discussions.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to Bay Area radio station KNBR following the completion of the first round, fielding questions about the implications of Pearsall's selection for the team's veteran wideouts.
"Well,
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan discuss the 49ers drafting Ricky Pearsall
By Site Staff
Apr 25
The San Francisco 49ers selected former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke after the selection. Here is everything they had to say.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening Comments:
John Lynch: "You guys have fun? Yeah. Long day. Long day. Excited about our pick. Go ahead. Shoot."
Just the rationale. Why did you pick him? You guys have a lot of needs and what made you guys focus in on him?
JL: "We know we do well when we have consensus in our group. And that's from scouting, coaching, R&D, and we really had that with [WR] Ricky [Pearsall]. He's a guy who,
