Hint hint? Kaepernick jumping on Rams media conference calls

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick by the team in 2005, officially announced his retirement from NFL today. https://www.instagram.com/tv/CN2j9LohMi4/?utm_source=ig_embed The announcement has garnered a significant reaction from the media, who watched Smith not only overcome a devastating leg injury that nearly cost him his life, but also return to football this past season, earning him NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Here are a few of the reactions from Bay Area reporters who helped cover the team for at least a portion of Smith's eight seasons with the

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network is well-informed when it comes to pre-draft chatter around the league. The draft analyst hears all of the Mac Jones-to-49ers speculation, with many proclaiming the scenario as a near-lock. Pauline wants everyone to pump the brakes on that a bit because he doesn't see it as the certainty that many others would lead you to believe it is. "People, I think, are just under the assumption of belief that it's a foregone conclusion that [the San Francisco 49ers are] going to take Mac Jones with that third pick in the draft," Pauline told Trey Wingo on a recent podcast (h/t to Patrick Tulini). "I'm told that's not the case at all. There are some things that they're looking at with Mac Jones

The San Francisco 49ers' move up nine spots from the No. 12 overall pick last month sent shockwaves across the NFL. News of the blockbuster move broke during Zach Wilson's pro day, taking a little away from the event as everyone tried to wrap their heads around the impact — not just on the draft but on the NFC West and NFL landscape for years to come. The move up to the No. 3 spot leaves San Francisco without a first-round pick in each of the next two years. Someone who knows a thing or two about building a roster without first-round picks is the coach of the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams — Sean McVay. McVay and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan are close friends, but you can bet the Rams coach is being kept in the dark about the Bay Area team's