San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft, answering questions about the team's eight selections and how they fit into the team's plans. Here's everything they said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
Opening comment:
President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch: "I do want to thank I want to thank the entire crew. I want to make a couple shout outs. [Player personnel coordinator] Jessi Seumalo, she does the logistics on all the travel of all these guys as they come in and out. The Stribling family was here today, and it just made me remember that. I also want to thank [senior personnel executive] Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah], [assistant general manager] Brian Hampton and [president of 49ers enterprises and EVP of football operations] Paraag [Marathe]. You know, we made a few trades in this thing, I think five in total, and those guys were awesome, kind of working their way around the league, allowing us to go back, come up and make a lot of calls to explore other opportunities. And start with that and then open for questions."
Let me ask about one of the guys that you drafted today. LB Jaden Dugger seems to bear a lot of resemblance physically to his linebacker's coach now. Yeah. I mean, was that kind of discussed when you were talking about him, and what is your vision for where he might end up playing?
JL: "I actually was looking through my phone after we drafted him, I saw something. I said, [head coach] 'Kyle [Shanahan], Barrows is pretty perceptive because I remember a draft meeting where [linebackers coach] K.J. [Wright] was becoming extremely convicted on the young man.' And I said, 'wait just a second, throw up K.J.'s card.' We got this cool tale of the tape. And I said, 'you're trying to draft yourself [laughs].' And I think he was, and if we come anywhere close to that, it'd be a really good thing. Dugger was a cool prospect, interesting story. Went to Georgetown as a safety after two years, goes to Lafayette and is playing kind of an edge this year, they moved him to linebacker, plays some over the slot. So, 84-and-a-half-inch wingspan, 35-inch arms. Really intriguing dude. We just want to get him in the building. I think there's impact he can make right away, but then development that we really believe he can be a really fun player to work with and a really impactful player for our team."
Do you see him on the strong side? He mentioned MIKE.
JL: "Yeah, he can play some MIKE. I think he has the aptitude to do that. I think long term; the length allows him a lot of different avenues to contribute both at the WILL and the SAM. I mean, it's just kind of a lot of versatility that he brings to the table."
You guys did not draft a safety. Is that a vote of confidence for the guys you have? And how do you see that room right now?
JL: As for not drafting a safety, there were some guys that came off and, look this thing's still going on, we've got some free agents and all that. We've got a group that we really do like. But kind of the way the board fell, it just didn't work out. And love what we were able to add. The work's not over."
How do you see OL Carver Willis fitting in? I know he played a lot of tackle in in college. Do you see the traits that could move him inside? And would he be in the mix now for that left guard spot?
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan: "Yeah, we'll start him off inside. See if he can do it there and give him a chance to try to earn that spot."
Can I ask the dreaded question of any WR Brandon Aiyuk updates now that the Draft's about done and what your plans are with him?
JL: "No new update right now. We're available. Give us a call. And like I said earlier, I think it's the prudent thing to do. He's an extremely talented player. He's been an extremely effective player in our league; situation didn't work itself out here. That's not to say that it can't be rekindled somewhere else. And we'd be happy to do something with anyone if the opportunity presented itself."
But you're not planning on releasing him?
JL: "Not anytime soon."
Your draft board seems to deviate quite a bit from the consensus. Why are you confident with that given your track record drafting the last few years? It seems like it leads to you making reaches.
JL: "Well, I appreciate that you think that, depends on whose consensus. We got consensus in this building. That's the that's the consensus I care about."
You mentioned Kwesi. Can you kind of illuminate what his role was in this draft process? And I think you had mentioned that after the draft you could settle on a title or what would be next for him? Is there anything there in terms of that?
JL: "I mean, Kwesi's a guy, I think I'd put it in the same vein as [personnel executive] Ethan Waugh. Both were here, both valuable members of our front office, both guys that Kyle and I and everybody here valued. And so, they went elsewhere in different roles. Those opportunities came to an end, and we were presented with an opportunity to bring them back and we jumped at the opportunity to do both. So, both those guys will settle in, be a part of us going forward, and we're really happy for that."
With OL Enrique Cruz Jr. obviously later round offensive tackles don't generally project to be eventual starters necessarily. What qualities does he have that would suggest that he could maybe develop into something?
JL: "Yeah, Cruz, is a guy that throughout the process we became very intrigued with. [Assistant head coach/offensive line] Chris Foerster went out, worked him out, and I think that was a big step for us. You're looking at a guy that amongst all the offensive linemen, had the fastest 20 time, that has the highest vertical jump, the highest speed of any of the offensive tackles in a game. Now, is that all valuable for an offensive tackle? We'll see, but it speaks to the type of athlete he is. And we had a good feel on him. We did more work and got to a point where we think he's a tackle. We think he may have guard flex, but we're excited to add him to the to the offensive line group to add some competition."
What'd you guys see in DL Gracen Halton?
JL: "Plays the style that we like to play. Plays in the opposing offenses' backfield, attacking style, team captain, really impactful player. And you talk to the people at Oklahoma; they rave about him. We're really surprised he lasted that long and really thrilled to pounce on him when he got there."
Now that you have these eight picks, they're the responsibility of the coaching staff. When you look at these players, what's realistic to expect from this Draft class as rookies as far as starters, key contributors on that 53-man roster?
KS: "I'm always hoping that we got a chance that all these guys make the team. That's kind of the goal with all your draft picks. You go in with six and you can find a way to get eight. If we can find eight guys to make our 53, you get a lot better. Now, I think starting with free agency, how free agency went, I think that's going to be a huge challenge. That's why you get in some spots and you're like, 'man, I really want to take this position.' But the best available here, I don't think could beat out who we have. Whether you want to get better or not at the position. It doesn't always show that way. And I think we really did good in free agency. So, I think it'll be a challenge for all eight of these guys to make our team. I think we have a chance for a couple guys possibly to start or have a chance to start. And I think a number of these guys can be a big part or have a chance to start two years from now when you have some unrestricted free agents that we lose. So overall I hope all eight guys just contribute."
I think you guys picked up one pick for next year with one of these trades. How much did the 2027 Draft, it's already got a reputation as being a really good draft. Did that play into your process when you were doing your board this year and going through the draft this year? Was it a point to try to pick up picks for '27?
JL: "Yeah, there's a lot of indications that next year's draft is going to be strong. I think certainly at the quarterback position which often can kind of push a lot of players back. And so, we'll see. I think there was thought early this year that that would be the case. And so, these things are kind of always fluid. But the opportunity to add a pick for next year presented itself at some point. It did on a couple other occasions. We took the one opportunity and that's nice to have. We're happy to have added that and just kind of made decisions as they came. In most instances we were happy with the players we had, and we decided to stay and pick."
KS: "I think that was one of the coolest things with this draft, just so you don't reach on somebody. If there's somebody you know you're going to take at that spot and your consensus or what all your homework from around the league, not necessarily like Twitter or media stuff, just like the things you investigate and when people are going to go. And if you're going to take someone who your think's the best player but you don't think they're going to go until like 15 picks later, 20 picks later, it's always a huge risk because you never find out when they're going to go if you take them there. But times that we did feel that way, at 27, at 30 and you're able to move back and create stuff later. I forget what it was, but we got a sixth-round pick for next year and we don't have a sixth-round pick for next year. And we were able to still get our guy, I forget what we moved back to, whatever that was, but the guy we would've taken, we got 15 picks later, and you pick up a six for next year where we had a hole or the guy we would've taken at seven, you moved to 30, to move to 33. And so, all that stuff was really cool to get the guys that you want but also find a way to get eight players when you only had six bullets. And also, to gain a fraft pick for next year, which sometimes you trade before the trade deadline, I think we have in the last couple years. And to get these guys that we had, it was really neat."
I want to get your opinion on 49ers RB Kaelon Black and what you saw from him and how you can picture him in your offense.
KS: "It always starts with me with just who's the most natural running back. I love third down backs, all the pass game stuff that people can bring, but when it just comes to running the ball, you need to have more than one starter. We've gone through a number of years here where we've been through at least four backs. Last year was one of the abnormal years where, and it was awesome, but our starting back was able to stay healthy. Usually, it happens a lot, where it's not just the one, it's the two. We've gone through four a number of times, and so, what he could do as a true starting running back is what I liked. If you ever had to give him more carries, could he hit the right hole? Can he move the chains when you only block it for three, can he get five? The physicality he ran with, how he broke tackles when he did get into open space, how he didn't sit there and stutter his feet, he just broke to open spots and got yards. And then what he did at his pro day. When you see a tough, hard-nosed runner who ends up running the 40 that he did, to know what else is in his body for more explosiveness and stuff like that. You know, they didn't throw him the ball a lot, but when you watch his Senior Bowl, you watch his older tape from his other school, you see that he has that skillset that you can really develop and you got a guy you can win with."
With DL Gracen Halton, he's a guy that transitioned from end to inside early in his time in Oklahoma. How much did his get-off quickness from that background being outside, jump off the tape playing inside?
JL: "Yeah, it's a good point. That's really what you see with him, an extremely explosive player. And I think it goes to, like, you look at everything in the process, most of all the film, but then you look at his testing. He's over 36 inches in the vertical jump, and that translates to the film that you watch. Boom, he's off the ball. He's in the opposing team's backfield. That's just who we kind of want to be, and so it really translated well. And so, I don't know where it came from but we're glad he has it, and it fits really well with what we do. We think he's going to be a great addition."
All eight picks seemed to make a favorable first impression when they talk to us in the press room. As you've gotten into this longer and longer, is personality and character something that maybe you guys lean into a little bit more than you even have in the past?
JL: "I think the longer you do it, you look at the data, you look at the background and our history, the history throughout football, and there's no absolutes. It's one thing Kyle always says that I really believe in. But those things matter. The NFL's hard. It's tough. It's long. It's tiresome. You're going to be challenged and who has the mental fortitude, the mental toughness to fight through that? The way we do things is tough. We're going to have a lot of fun, but we're going to work really hard. And so, I think what translates is guys who have those qualities, and that's something I think we've always coveted. You're right, probably over time, you covet it even more."
As far as the Dallas Cowboys LB Dee Winters trade, does that speak to LB Nick Martin at all and his readiness? Do you expect him to be part of the offseason program and OTAs and things like that?
JL: "I think it speaks to that whole room. We had gotten up there in numbers. We had a team who was very interested in a player. They were kind of, I won't say aggressive, but they just stayed on it. And it makes you kind of look at things. Dee was going to be a free agent after this season. We liked our numbers. We thought we would likely draft a player in this draft, and we wanted to have the opportunity to do that. And Dee got a great opportunity with the Cowboys. And so, when all those things matched up and the compensation was right, we made that move."
And has Nick been taking part in all the activities?
JL: "Yeah. Nick's here and he's working hard and working great."
Comments