The San Francisco 49ers streamed their annual State of the Franchise event on Wednesday, where owner Jed York, general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan, and receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings were amongst the featured guests.
Greg Papa, the longtime Bay Area radio announcer, hosted the event, and began the Shanahan-Lynch segment by asking about the draft, given the differences from prior years due to the lack of a first-round selection in 2022.
Lynch believed that the strategy didn't significantly alter, as the 49ers continued with their holistic approach, although the team elected to make zero trades on draft day, which was a first since the Shanahan-Lynch era began.
"We stayed pat because there were players there that we liked at every pick," Lynch said. "That's a cool thing when a plan comes together. There were some fun moments in the draft. Some not so fun, like a player we really wanted and someone jumped us. But, that happens in every draft."
It appears that Lynch was alluding to the 49ers' first selection, where the Cincinnati Bengals traded ahead of the 49ers to select Nebraska defensive back Cam Taylor-Britt with the 60th overall pick. The 49ers then selected USC edge rusher Drake Jackson with their second-round pick (61 overall), following up the selection with two offensive skill players in round 3.
Taylor-Britt would have made sense for the 49ers, as he had the versatility to play both cornerback and safety, which were the positions that many believed the organization would target with their early-round selections.
However, the 49ers seem extremely content with their selection of Jackson, especially given their philosophy around the importance of defensive linemen.
"And I think in the day and age of football, it's set up right now for offense to have so much success," Lynch admitted. "I really believe it's the great equalizer to have a dominant defensive line. It's the one thing that you can dictate from, and Kyle has the same philosophy. So, we've continued to add to it. We had some good pieces when we first got here. We continued to add to it every year, and it's served us well."
Shanahan praised Jackson's play through the early stage of the offseason, understanding that defensive linemen are limited in this stage, but liking what he's seen from the rookie so far.
"Drake's been great, just getting him in there," Shanahan said. "OTAs are always different. We're not doing as much O-line, D-line, and stuff, so you don't get to see as much as you want from those guys. But when he's been in, he's been exactly as advertised. I mean, the movement, what he can do."
While the 49ers may have preferred the versatile Taylor-Britt, it doesn't seem that they're any less excited about their actual selection, Jackson, who has received significant praise from a number of teammates already.