placeholder image

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports


Kyle Shanahan acknowledges 49ers’ draft mistake in 2021

Aug 31, 2023 at 4:17 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Kyle Shanahan wishes things had worked out differently. He hoped that Trey Lance would have become the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback of the future. Injuries threw a wrench in that plan. The inexperienced quarterback never got an opportunity to receive the valuable reps needed to reach his potential.

The Niners got lucky, though, having Brock Purdy fall into their laps with the last overall pick in last year's draft. Purdy became the starter after injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, helping guide the team to its second consecutive NFC Championship Game.

"It didn't work the way all of us wanted it to," Shanahan told KNBR's Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto on Thursday. "And once you realize that, it's time to move on. And we did for us, and we did for him. And I think we're both in a much better position now."

Looking back, does the coach regret the pre-draft trade the 49ers made to acquire a rookie quarterback? With their sights set on either Lance or Mac Jones, San Francisco traded away three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up to the No. 3 overall pick. Was it a mistake to make such a significant trade without narrowing it down to one player?

"We knew exactly one of two people who we were going to take," Shanahan said. "When you move up and it doesn't work out, definitely that's a mistake. But we did like our decisions when we looked into the two veterans that were available, and we didn't get that. And we knew what way we were going to have to go two years from then. We knew we needed to go up and get a quarterback at that time. We didn't feel we'd be in a position the following year to have that option, one, in the draft and, two, in free agency. And I think that was accurate.

"We ended up having the 29th pick in the draft the year after that and the following year, and that would have been impossible to get up into a high pick to take a rookie quarterback. So that was the reasoning for it, which I do get that, but this is the risk of it. And we took a huge risk that didn't work out in that way. That's why I feel very fortunate that we still have a [quarterback] in a rookie deal."

You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.




Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers' Kyle Shanahan hails Brock Purdy's continuous improvement: QB rarely makes same mistake twice

By Marc Adams
Dec 2

As the San Francisco 49ers prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, all eyes will be on Brock Purdy to see how he handles returning to the place where he sustained his biggest injury yet, during the NFC Championship Game. Purdy has bounced back quicker than anyone expected him to. Initially, it was believed he would return sometime in September. But Purdy was ready for training camp. Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently sat down with Greg Papa, for their weekly discussion on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan." Papa pointed out that Purdy is averaging 9.4 yards per attempt, not per completion, but per attempt in 2023. That average is easily the


placeholder image

49ers being favored over Eagles 'doesn't make a lot of sense' to Kyle Shanahan

By David Bonilla
Nov 29

Sitting at 10-1, the Philadelphia Eagles own the NFL's best record. They are set to host the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC Championship Game rematch on Sunday in front of a rowdy Lincoln Financial Field crowd. Despite the Eagles' five-game winning streak, the 8-3 road-team 49ers are currently favored by three points. Oddsmakers might be favoring the 49ers because of how they have won games recently. Bouncing back from a challenging October, the team is now on a three-game winning streak, dominating opponents with an average margin of victory of 20.7 points. In contrast, the Eagles have secured victories with a more modest average margin of 4.8 points over their last four games, including an overtime win against the Buffalo Bills on


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan previews 49ers-Eagles Week 13 matchup

By Site Staff
Nov 29

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters before Wednesday's practice, as the team prepares for its Week 13 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here is everything he had to say. Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff. Opening comments: "Injuries for practice today. [RB] Jordan Mason, hamstring, won't practice. [WR] Ray-Ray McCloud [III], rib, won't practice. [DL] Arik Armstead, foot, won't practice. [OL] Spencer Burford, knee, limited." Is Arik's foot injury something similar to what he dealt with last year? "I'm not sure exactly. I know it's his foot. I'm not sure how similar it is." Do you kind of want


placeholder image

Kyle Shanahan shares how 49ers will prepare for Eagles' "tush push"

By David Bonilla
Nov 29

The San Francisco 49ers aim to secure a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, bringing them closer to overtaking the 10-1 squad in the race for the top seed in the NFC playoff picture. They may need to devise a strategy to counter one of Philly's most potent plays—the "tush push." The Eagles have proven nearly unstoppable with the "tush push" in short-yardage situations, consistently gaining first downs with the play. Quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up under center with multiple players behind him, taking the snap and relying on those players to push from behind. Head coach Kyle Shanahan admits that his 49ers won't devote time on the practice field to stopping the play. Instead, they will prioritize playing fundamentally sound football with the


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone