The San Francisco 49ers own two first-round picks in this week's draft. However, they had to trade Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in order to be in this position.

General manager John Lynch spoke with the media via a Zoom video conference and told reporters that the decision to part ways with Buckner wasn't an easy one. In fact, he called it the "toughest thing" he's done since becoming a general manager.


"It's a difficult part of this business," Lynch told reporters, "one that I don't really think you can prepare yourself when you move on from a player who embodies everything that you want to be about. We spend a lot of time talking about what's a Forty-Niner to us, and DeForest Buckner embodied that in every way both on and off the field."

Lynch noted that while he had hoped to keep the Super Bowl-contending team together, it became apparent in the discussions with Buckner and his representatives that keeping the defensive lineman wasn't going to be a possibility.

"The Colts entered the picture with a pick — not only a first-round pick but in the upper half," Lynch continued. "We weighed that (and) the opportunity to sign other guys. It was one of those business decisions that's so tough."

Lynch added that he is confident in other defensive linemen like D.J. Jones, Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead, and others to step up and fill the void.

While the 49ers are open to trading down from either of their first-round selections, Lynch says the team is excited about possibly adding a "foundational player," too.


"We lost a special player in Buck," Lynch said, "a foundational-type player. So if you can find a foundational player at 13, that's something you have to weigh."

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