John Lynch Foreshadows the 49ers Draft: No Trade Up
At the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, 49ers General Manager John Lynch gave candid answers in a 25-minute session with team reporters, including the situation at quarterback. Nestled within his answers were some revealing quotes on the team’s process in free agency and plans for the draft.
Prior to free agency, Lynch met with head coach Kyle Shanahan to assess team weaknesses. They saw a drop-off in the defensive line that was “glaring to us.” They wanted the line to return to the dominance of 2019. “That’s what we believe in,” Lynch said.
They identified defensive tackle Javon Hargrave as the target and sought the ok from 49er CEO Jed York to make the investment in free agency. Lynch says York told them, “I don’t want a bunch of average guys, I want a game-changer.”
The question then becomes, if York wants a game-changer in free agency, shouldn’t that also apply to the draft?
“Not sure I’d be thrilled about having a bunch of early picks,” Lynch said. “It feels like there’s not much differentiation from the top guys to the middle guys, there’s a lot of good players.”
Translation: no trade up.
Lynch also noted that he intentionally tweaked his normal draft process, starting from the “lowest draftable grades” and working up from there. It appears that Lynch won’t put much stock into round projections because he sees this draft class as flat.
This draft could have some echoes of the 49ers legendary 1986 draft when Bill Walsh and John McVay kept trading down, paying no attention to round projections and eventually selecting one of the best draft classes in NFL history.
Can Lynch do that in this draft? No, it’s not as deep as 1986. But the clues Lynch provided indicate the Niners are far more likely to move down than up.
Trading down to the 4th round, where the Niners have no picks currently, could be warranted by how the draft falls. Safeties the Niners may target go there. Separation from 4th to 5th can be found at running back, slot receiver, interior offensive line, defensive tackle, and cornerback.
Could Lynch’s statement on Purdy mean it’s possible to trade Trey Lance? Based on Lynch’s draft evaluation alone, no. If he thinks this is a flat draft there’s not much value in adding an early 3rd rounder.
One thing the Niners don’t know yet that could impact who starts Week 1 is who they face Week 1. If the league decides to showcase an NFC Championship rematch of Niners-Eagles to open the year, would Shanahan be comfortable starting a maybe not quite ready Brock Purdy? With Haason Reddick facing a mismatch again?
I think Trey Lance will start the opener.
