Good Morning Faithful,
Here are your top 49ers storylines for Friday, March 1st.
New and Notable
John Lynch Talks Draft Strategy With a 2024 First Round Draft Pick
The San Francisco 49ers have developed a reputation for hitting on later round picks over the course of the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch era. Many of the 49ers veteran leaders and current stars were second and third day draft picks from All-Pro linebackerĀ Fred WarnerĀ (2018 third-round pick, No. 70 overall) to All-Pro tight endĀ George KittleĀ (2017 fifth-round pick, No. 146 overall) to Pro Bowl quarterbackĀ Brock Purdy (2022 seventh-round pick, No. 262 overall) just to name a few. The ability to pinpoint talent in later rounds of the draft has come especially handy in recent years with San Francisco trading away its first-round selections in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as part of a move up to acquire quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Front Office Promotions, Aiyuk Insight; 4 Takeaways From John Lynch
The San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl LVIII appearance made for a quick turnaround to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. Two weeks after the conclusion of the 49ers 2023 season, San Francisco’s braintrust is in Indianapolis to evaluate college football’s top prospects and learn more about the next generation of players set to enter the league. For the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers will have a first round draft pick, No. 31 overall, and are slated to have 11 total selections after compensatory allotments were made for four players leaving during free agency last season.
5 Things to Know: 49ers California License Plate
What are 49ers CA Specialty License Plates?
The California San Francisco 49ers specialty license plate is a license plate that when you order one with the Department of Motor Vehicles, a portion of your yearly registration fees are donated to the associated charity or cause. This plate is soon to be available for 49ers Faithful to have on their autos, commercial vehicles, trailers and motorcycles with your help.
49ers Foundation Opens Applications for Seventh Annual ‘Follow Your Bliss’ Award
The San Francisco 49ers Foundation is launching the application window for the Dr. Harry Edwards “Follow Your Bliss” Award grants, presented by the Micron Foundation. The annual grant program pays tribute to Dr. Harry Edwards’ “Blueprint for Educational Achievement,” and honors Bay Area educators who are committed to creating a lasting and positive impact for their students. Nominations can be submitted toĀ 49ers.com/bliss from now until March 29, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Off the Field: Greenlaw Reveals Hilarious Kyle Shanahan Combine Story š
Five years ago at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, linebackerĀ Dre GreenlawĀ found himself in an amusingly mistaken situation, convinced that the San Francisco 49ers had no intention of drafting him.
After posting a 33” vertical jump, a 9’9” broad jump, 24 reps on the bench press and aĀ total combine score of 54, the future 49ers starter wasn’t pleased with the reaction he received from head coach Kyle Shanahan.
PFF lists the best-case scenario pick for the 49ers in the 1st round
Itās an offensive lineman
Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We havenāt yet reached the portion of theĀ NFL CombineĀ where the offensive linemen have participated. Thatāll be at the beginning of next week. Once that happens, weāll have a better idea about who theĀ San Francisco 49ersĀ have met with.
Itās a foregone conclusion that the Niners will draft at least one offensive lineman in theĀ NFL Draft. Trent Williams and Aaron Banks are locked in as starters. The team could save $4 million this season, 3.7 million in 2025, and $4.2 million in 2026 ā when he turns 34 āĀ by releasingĀ Jake Brendel with a post-June 1 designation. The play of Brendel, whoever played right guard, and Colton McKivitz was up and down during the year.
Iād argue that each of those three playersā performance either leveled off or trended in the wrong direction down the stretch and in the playoffs.
But you canāt release a player without having another starter in mind or on the roster. Depending on how the board falls to them, a lineman in the first round is plausible. PFF went through and listed a ābest case scenarioā pick for each team, and the Niners ended up with an offensive tackle:
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Goal: Find depth in the trenches
Ideal first pick: OLĀ Graham Barton,Ā Duke
The 49ers need to improve offensive and defensive line units that have become increasingly top-heavy.
Trent WilliamsĀ is the gold standard at left tackle, but the rest of the unit leaves much to be desired, as the team finished 2023 tied for 23rd in pass-blocking grade.Ā DukeāsĀ Graham BartonĀ gained experience at tackle and center during his college career and would likely be fine playing either guard spot.
Interior run defense has been a problem over the past couple of seasons in San Francisco.Ā Javon HargraveĀ isnāt an elite run defender, andĀ Javon KinlawĀ has so far not panned out as hoped. Run-defending studs likeĀ TāVondre SweatĀ orĀ Kris JenkinsĀ would be reasonable picks for the 49ers at No. 31.
Sweat weighed 366 pounds. Taking a player who would presumably give you no more than 30 snaps a game in the first round is not a recipe for success.
The 49ers would gravitate toward Barton for his lateral quickness. He has no issue getting to the second level or cutting off defenders on the backside. Heās also the type of player who doesnāt lose reps once he gets his hands on you.
You do worry about his sub-optimal length ā weāll have official measurements on the linemen this weekend ā and if thatāll force Barton to move back inside. Barton started the past three seasons at left tackle but randomly played right guard at times. As a freshman, he was Dukeās starting center.
He has 39 career starts and played in a zone-based running scheme. He excelled against the best pass rushers he faced. And when he did make a mistake or get beaten on a rep, he didnāt make the same mistake twice in a game, which should be comforting for evaluators.