John Lynch Hints at the 49ers' Top Need This Offseason

John Lynch seems to have hinted at the combine where the 49ers want to improve the most this offseason.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Arguably, the top need on the San Francisco 49ers this offseason is at the wide receiver position.

Jauan Jennings is a free agent, and they'll be moving off of Brandon Aiyuk in the coming weeks. Their top receivers are injury-prone Ricky Pearsall and a soon-to-be 32-year-old Demarcus Robinson.

It's a no-brainer that they will and need to address this position. However, it doesn't seem like the 49ers view it as the No. 1 need as fans and some pundits do.

On Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine, John Lynch was asked where the 49ers will make a concerted effort to improve this offseason, and he didn't mention wide receiver.

John Lynch hints at 49ers' top need

Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Bryce Huff (47) puts pressure on Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

"I think you always, you want to get better as a team. Now, one tangible thing, we've always prided ourselves on our defensive front and getting after people," said Lynch. "And last year, if you just look at the numbers, now I don't think the numbers are always reflective. I felt like there were games where we put a lot of pressure on, but you’ve got to put the quarterback down and so that's something that we want to address and we will address."

Lynch had an opportunity to say any position, including wide receiver, as a position the 49ers want to improve. But he chose to cite the defensive line and getting after the quarterback.

This was a hint from Lynch that the 49ers are viewing their defensive front as their top weakness. It makes sense since they were dead last in sacks last year with 20.

And yes, Nick Bosa was lost for the season early with a torn ACL. He's a game changer, but the 49ers can't just chalk it up to that. They realized they needed another impactful pass rusher.

Not only is it to improve their defense, but in the event they lose Bosa again, it won't become a desolate unit. They have to do whatever they can to prevent that from happening again.

Perhaps trading with the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby is on their minds. Either way, the 49ers need to improve their pass rush. It should take precedence over wide receiver.

Now, that's easier said than done, but I think Lynch's comments show where the 49ers could be leaning when they enter free agency and the NFL draft.

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