Originally posted by 49AllTheTime:
Originally posted by SmokeyJoe:
Originally posted by 49AllTheTime:
You're basing everything on hindsight. Wilson didn't lock up #two until after his pro day
as for kriz saying that cool, but it wasn't made to be known as it was for Wilson. The buzz here for Wilson was a lot more due to those leaks.
I don't have the athletic, but as for Kyle, another reporter said he was there.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2021/3/29/22356107/golden-nuggets-dont-rule-out-the-49ers-moving-up-to-pick-no-2-for-zach-wilson
Lynch/Kyle also didn't start really taking Lance seriously until they were on their way back from Fields pro day
Probably more important information for you to glean from that article you're citing other than the incorrect passing tidbit that Kyle was at Wilson's pro day. Notice the subject and date. If you pick up on that you can read Lynch's comments from the post draft pressor about the trade, as well as Kyle's comments as another source for his whereabouts during Wilson's pro day:
https://www.49ers.com/news/kyle-shanahan-john-lynch-trey-lance-nfl-draft-quarterback-north-dakota-state
https://www.49erswebzone.com/news/amp-146652/
There's now 5 different links either mentioning Kyle's vacation in Mexico at the time of the trade (the same day as Wilson's pro day) or listing attendees that included Lynch but not Shanahan, and many of them also mention the concept that it was assumed Wilson would be gone at pick 3. I don't know why you continue to mention talks about Wilson here on this forum when it clearly revolved around the three guys who were actually available to us when we picked. This is easy to remember, aside from all the available information, because Wilson would have been my top choice out of the 4 and I knew we had no chance to get him just like most other people. Also, these were heated debates as the fanbase was having a s**tfit over the prospect of drafting Jones. This was all over social media.
The bottom part of your post is just flat incorrect and I have no idea where it comes from. Kyle had commented on interest in Lance prior to Fields' 2nd pro day and had also already scheduled to attend Lance's second work out which was four days later.
there's only one link and it says he thinks he was in mexico, lol
So two links he was there and one with Kyle saying he doesn't know
like i said, Kyle/Lynch only mentions anything on the QB process is when Lance was already picked.. it's all hindsight speak. Lance was the guy the whole time yada yada. Their actions during the season and up to ZWs pro day speak for themselves that ZW was closer to what they hoped for at the time. The talk after drafting Lance was a lot different than what they showed.
Saleh/La Fleur through a wrench in the plan
This was the buzz in real time Jan 2021
Robert Saleh hiring paves way for SF 49ers drafting Zach Wilson
Here is a 6th link, this one written by Matt Barrows:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2480054/2021/03/26/do-kyle-shanahan-and-the-49ers-want-zach-wilson-justin-fields-or-trey-lance-answer-yes/
One thing is clear after the 49ers' blockbuster trade on Friday: Jimmy Garoppolo is not their quarterback of the future.
Less clear: Which quarterback will be taking on that title.
News of the trade, in which the 49ers dealt the No. 12 pick, 2022 and 2023 first-round picks, and a 2022 third-round pick to the Dolphins to move up to the No. 3 spot, came hours after general manager John Lynch was seen at BYU's pro day where the star attraction was quarterback Zach Wilson.
In September, two things happened: Garoppolo suffered a high ankle sprain against the Jets that would plague him for the rest of the season. And Wilson, considered a good quarterback when the college season started, began rocketing up draft boards. He finished the season with 3,692 yards, completed 73.5 percent of his passes and tossed 33 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
What's more, he operated out of the shotgun and under center, looked graceful on the move and BYU's offense used a lot of the same motions and sophisticated looks that Kyle Shanahan's system does. In short, Wilson seemed like a perfect fit for the 49ers.
Well, perhaps too perfect.
Wilson looked so smooth and played so well that he began being considered the second-best quarterback in the draft behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, who is expected to be taken No. 1 by Jacksonville last month.
The Jets, picking No. 2 overall next month, were even more prominent than the 49ers at BYU's pro day. They sent head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and general manager Joe Douglas to watch Wilson throw. (Teams can send only three officials to these events, per pandemic-inspired rules). Though Saleh hasn't revealed his plans — the Jets could decide to stick with Sam Darnold at quarterback
— the expectation is that they will select Wilson at No. 2.
Where would that leave the 49ers in their search for a quarterback:
•
Justin Fields, Ohio State: There was one chief concern about Wilson, his size, which he seemed to allay on Friday when he measured a little over 6-foot-2. That's never been a worry about Fields, who is listed at 6-3, 228 pounds and who has rushed for nearly 900 yards and 15 touchdowns his last two seasons at Ohio State. Fields has a big arm and was nearly as accurate as Wilson, completing 70.2 percent of his throws in 2020, although he was not as efficient when his initial read broke down. He had a terrible outing against Northwestern on Dec. 19 in which he completed just 44.4 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions. But he bounced back with a six-touchdown, 78.6-percent completion game in a win over Lawrence and Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
In Fields, the 49ers would get a sturdier, bigger-armed quarterback than Garoppolo and also one who could put pressure on defenses with his feet. Fields also has worked under Shanahan — briefly — because he was part of the QB Collective passing camp in which Shanahan and others assist as instructors. He's the only one of the top quarterbacks who hasn't had his pro day. That will be held Tuesday.
•
Trey Lance, North Dakota State: Lance has been compared to Bills quarterback Josh Allen because he's a strong-armed, powerful runner who didn't face top competition in college. The challenge in evaluating Lance also includes that he was a starter for only one full season, albeit a stellar one in 2019 in which he finished with 42 total touchdowns (28 passing, 14 on the ground) and no interceptions. Lance might be an even better runner than Fields. He rushed for 1,100 yards in 2019, often bowling over linebackers and defensive backs in his conference.
But he played just one game in 2020, an uninspiring outing against Central Arkansas. If the 49ers drafted him, the question would be whether he could be expected to be the team's Week 1 starter, especially if the NFL goes through another virtual offseason because of the pandemic. In that scenario, perhaps the 49ers hang on to Garoppolo to begin the season, then move him before the trade deadline or early in 2022.
That was both the 49ers' and Chiefs' strategies with veteran quarterback Alex Smith. Those teams both drafted quarterbacks early — Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Mahomes, respectively — retained Smith as their starter, then traded him in ensuing years. In fact, Shanahan cited the Chiefs' example in December when asked about how the 49ers would upgrade at the backup spot.
He said it was hard to have two high-priced passers on a roster "unless they've drafted a guy and then had their starter from the year before. Someone like Alex and what they had with Patrick. So it's a very common thing."
•
Mac Jones, Alabama: Jones is considered the fifth-best quarterback in the draft, and he's perhaps the most like Garoppolo in that he operates well in the pocket but isn't much of a threat to scramble out of it. Jones masterfully operated Alabama's talent-laden offense this past season. Still, he doesn't have the arm talent of the four other passers, and his release is not as quick as Garoppolo's. There was also a good chance the 49ers could have drafted Jones had they remained at pick No. 12. But Jones and Lawrence might be the most NFL-ready quarterbacks in the draft. That is, if the 49ers took Jones, Garoppolo would be more expendable.
•
Deshaun Watson, Texans: The recent civil suits filed against Watson likely prompted the 49ers to focus on the draft instead of a trade as far as their quarterback upgrade. Trading for Watson now seems very unlikely, and it's hard to see the quarterback's issues being resolved before the draft. Still, having the No. 3 pick now gives the 49ers a bargaining chip they didn't have before Friday's trade.
Why didn't Shanahan, who has by far the strongest voice on quarterback matters in the organization, attend Wilson's pro day? For one, he prefers to do his draft preparation by studying game film. He's been seen at a few pro days in previous years. For example, he worked out Mitch Trubisky before the 2017 draft. But aside from driving 15 miles to Stanford's pro day, he's been seldom seen on the pro-day circuit.
The rules also are different this year. Teams can send only three members of their organization, they can't do private workouts and they can't have dinners and other get-to-know-you outings. The so-called "Official 30 visits" that served as a tipoff to a team's interest in a prospect also have been scuttled because of the pandemic and are replaced by Zoom calls, of which teams can have up to five with an individual. Assistant general manager Adam Peters said last month that scouts and personnel officials likely would attend the pro days, and 49ers coaches would stay back in Santa Clara to study film.
That the 49ers pulled the trigger on such a big trade a month ahead of the draft suggests that Shanahan already has looked closely at the top college quarterbacks and would be happy with more than one. His recent fascination with Kirk Cousins and his success with Matt Ryan and Garoppolo have created the impression that he prefers a quarterback, like Alabama's Jones, who won't venture from the pocket.
His quarterback palate, however, is more diverse than that.
The last time he seriously looked at quarterbacks was 2012 when his father, Mike, was Washington's head coach and Shanahan was the offensive coordinator. The team wound up taking Robert Griffin III No. 2 overall and Cousins in the fourth round. Mike Shanahan has since said that he and his son also really liked Ryan Tannehill and Russell Wilson, both of whom were good runners in college.
Which is to say, whether Wilson, Fields, Lance or Jones is there at No. 3, Shanahan likely feels confident he can work with any of them.
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Note the underlined and bolded passages. Note the date.