Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers
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On Sunday night, a familiar face will be leading his Indianapolis Colts defense into Levi's Stadium, looking to prove that the San Francisco 49ers made a mistake by trading him last year. All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner will play against his former team for the first time since that trade.
General manager John Lynch knows the move to ship Buckner, an outstanding young talent, will be questioned for years to come. The two sides just couldn't find a contract extension figure that worked well for each party.
"We loved everything about DeForest," Lynch said this morning on KNBR's
Murph & Mac show. "... A lot of people, and I'm sure they'll continue to talk whether that was the right move [or] wrong move, but it's the move we made at the time, and we did not make it lightly."
The 49ers received the No. 13 overall pick in last year's draft for Buckner, who signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Colts after the trade.
San Francisco used the selection, after trading down one spot to No. 14 overall, to draft defensive tackle
Javon Kinlaw, who has been hampered by injuries. Lynch knows the potential for an impactful player is there, though. The team just needs to help their young defensive tackle get past the setbacks.
"I think he's exactly the player we thought he would be," Lynch said of Kinlaw. "Unfortunately, that has been tremendously — not just a little bit — hindered by injuries. And it's an injury he had in his first year, and that thing has kind of stuck with him. We're searching for answers."
The 49ers have held Kinlaw out of practices this week, and he has been limited in previous weeks. In fact, Kinlaw hasn't been a full participant all season in a practice leading to a game. In addition, he has been listed as "doubtful" or "questionable" every week preceding a matchup.
"We still are very resolute that he's going to be a tremendous [asset], and has the makings of a dominant player," Lynch continued, "but you have to be healthy in this league to do that. So, he's struggling through that.
"We're trying to help him find answers, and we're working towards that. It's unfortunate, but that's always a risk in this league."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
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:
Steph Sanchez and MLFootball report that the San Francisco 49ers hosted former Georgia safety Javon Bullard on a pre-draft visit yesterday.
🚨EXCLUSIVE: Georgia star safety Javon Bullard had a TOP-30 visit with the San Francisco #49ers yesterday, sources tell @_MLFootball & @Steph49K. Bullard, 21-years-old is a very good athlete and is great in coverage.
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
