Santa Clara – The second John Lynch entered the Levi’s Stadium auditorium to talk about the draft of the NFL, it was easy to return to the photo sessions of the past few years on this scene with the best choices of the 49ers.
The initial came in 2017, when Lynch was general manager for the first time and posed with coach Kyle Shanahan and the busts of the first round Salomon Thomas and Reuben Foster. The best scene occurred two years later, with the overall choice n ° 2 Nick Bosa.
All of them are sure and lack that this regime of the 49ers has on its big book, the next ninth draft under Lynch and Shanahan is essential in the direction of this franchise, in the short and long term.
“I like there to be a lot of quality starters throughout this project,” said Lynch on Tuesday. “It takes place deeply in the second day and even the third day.”
The first choice of the 49ers is at n ° 11 in the general classification on Thursday, which begins at 5 p.m. PT, the draft of the NFL making its debut in Green Bay.
“Thursday will be a big day, the start of the draft and bring this new harvest of guys to join our team and start building this thing,” said secondary Fred Warner.
Four choices in the top 100 should strengthen the cause of the 49ers, including Friday selections in the second and third laps (n ° 43, 75 and 100). The last three laps on Saturday are often a gold mine under this regime, and this year offers two choices around 4 (n ° 113, 138), two a round 5 (n ° 147, 160) and three around 7 (n ° 227, 249, 252).
The purge of the alignment of the offseason causes the need for large reinforcements, and because no pure and simple starter has reached the middle of good business purchases from the free agency, the 49ers must use their 11 choices in this week’s draft to regenerate their list in a competitor.
“We are talking about how much we have lost this offseason and guys who go to other places,” added Warner, “but we need young people, guys who are hungry for this respect and try to win it, to give us this advantage, from the competitive aspect of guys in competition for different places. It is very necessary for our team in general and I am excited about this.”
While the defense could replace up to seven starters, the offensive of the 49ers has not been touched as hard, all due to the professions of the Large Receiver Deebo Samuel (Washington) and the Ballon holder Jordan Mason (Minnesota), as well as the free agency of the left guard Aaron Banks (Green Bay) and Backup Tackle Jaylon Moore (Kansas City).
“It is always difficult to look at the guys you like and that you respect go to other teams, but this is the business of this league,” said Christian McCaffrey. “Everyone in our locker room knows it enough. So, forward, continue to develop as a team, grow as a unit, bring new guys and make them go up as quickly as possible.”
The professions are always possible at this time of the year also, in the form of a recovery selection swaps or the movement of veteran players, such as the acquisition in 2020 of the left platform Trent Williams.
The most gaping holes of the 49ers are on their formerly lively defensive line. Three of the beginners of last week last season were released: the defensive winger Leonard Floyd and the defensive starters Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins. Although Yetur Gross-Matos is in pencil like their last defensive end in front of Nick Bosa, on-board rushers are always a coveted merchandise, although the interior can be more difficult at the moment.
When it comes to analyzing such defensive line players, the 49ers are important on the speed of debate, but there is more than that to relaunch this brand.
“You hear us a lot about the definition of the edges. You must have the possibility of defining a firm advantage,” said Lynch. “When we play this wide technique, by fixing an advantage, there is space. And so, you must be able to remove this space which is initially there. And it is therefore something that we covet.
“And obviously, can you take a look, can they put pressure?” Lynch added. “A bit like a wide receiver which can exert pressure on a corner by coming, above all, and threatened with power and / or speed.”
He is Warner, a quadruple All-Pro entering his eighth season.
“Playing alongside the youngest, it keeps me young,” said Warner. “I feel like I am still young, but of course, you arrive at eight (seasons) and they start calling you” old head “,” UNC “and other crazy things.”
What he is still waiting to be called: the Super Bowl champion.
“Even if we were about to hit the top of the mountain, we never exceeded it, right?” said Warner, who was one of the 2019 NFC championship teams and 2023. “So the teams have never considered us super bowl champions because we have not yet reached this. This leads to myself as other guys who were here.”
And it is a burden that will be transmitted to this incoming draft class, and the next one, until the 49ers end up ending a drought of the Lombardi trophy which now extends over three decades.
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