Sourdough Sam
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- Mar 20, 2019
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John Lynch held court on Monday during his annual pre-draft media availability. As has become a tradition since lynch took over as the San Francisco 49ers GM, reporters were invited into the John McVay Draft Room for the presser.
You can watch the entire press conference above, but here are the most notable takeaways from what Lynch had to say ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.
1. Open for Business
The 49ers are likely to field trade offers at No. 2 regardless of who gets taken first overall. Lynch said the 49ers are ready for all scenarios.
"We’ll certainly listen, but we’ll also be prepared to pull the trigger because I think we’ve got some high grades on a number of players that we really feel could help our franchise get where we want to get in the immediate future and further on into the future.”
Hypothetically, though, if the Arizona Cardinals were to pass on Kyler Murray, potential offers for the No. 2 pick could be much more substantial. Should that be the case, it sounds like moving down is a likely outcome for the 49ers.
"We’re also prepared that if something came to us that was too good to be true, players that we’ve graded the entire draft (class), but players that we would be comfortable taking in the middle of the round, at 10 or wherever. We’ve done our due diligence there, as well."
2. Assessing All Options at Receiver
San Francisco brought in a bevy of wide receivers during the pre-draft process for official visits. It was reported that the team spent nearly half of their 30 allotted visits on that position. Many expect the 49ers to target a wide receiver with their second-round pick (No. 36 overall). Should they do so, we recently polled a panel of draft experts as to which receiver prospects would be the best fit in San Francisco.
“I think it says that there’s a lot of depth at that position," Lynch said of having so many wideouts visit the SAP Performance Facility. "There’s a lot of guys who we like, and there’s different reasons we bring guys in. Just like any position, that may be a spot where we try to improve our team. Fortunately, in this year’s draft, it seems to be a good stable of guys who can help.”
3. Who's on the Board?
Lynch opted not to tell reporters how many first-round grades the 49ers gave out this year. He did divulge that there are currently 184 prospects who are on the board and in consideration for selection.
"That’s actually a little less than last year," Lynch said. "But, I think it’s harder to make this team. We feel like we’ve gradually improved our roster. It’s going to be tougher for draft picks to make our team. So, we wanted that reflected in the way we were grading draftable players."
4. Forever a Niner
Most of the discussion surrounded draft-related topics, but one reporter asked about Joe Staley's contract situation. Staley is entering his 13th NFL season and is currently on the last year of his current contract. Lynch made it very clear that he never wants to see Staley play a game for any team but the 49ers.
"We all know what he’s meant to this organization," Lynch said. "He’s got a unique opportunity to be a part of this organization and my hope is that he only plays for one organization. I think he’s a special player. He’s a special personality."
For what it's worth, Staley shared last week that he has no intention of every playing anywhere else, either.