President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch Press Conference
Opening comments:
“Ready to go here in a few days and per usual, really happy with our entire organization. I always mention it, but the thing I probably love most about the Draft is that it involves every ounce of our organization. Our process continues to evolve, improve, and really happy with where it’s at. So couldn’t be happier on where we’re at. These next couple days, like people say, is the hay in the barn? The hay’s never in the barn. We’ll use every minute that we have to continue to really feel prepared, but we’re at a really good place and we’ll continue to do things this week with coaches, with scouts, with our R&D department that continue to get us ready for every scenario that might happen. Talking with a lot of teams just on a variety of scenarios that could happen and we’ll open it up for questions.”
First off, can you confirm that you have an agreement with T Trent Williams?
“Yes, I can confirm that, and we’re really excited about that. Trent’s a phenomenal player. I remember being on the phone with [general manager of the University of California football program] Ron Rivera during the COVID days at my house doing the Draft and that’s where that thing came together and was thrilled then, we still remain thrilled and really happy to have that behind us and Trent in the fold. As I told Trent when we started this thing, my hope is that his name, his number, are up in those rafters with a lot of great players that have played here. There’s a buzz in the building, the players are back, it’s the first day back for phase one. But, there’s a buzz because what Trent means to this place. So, we’re very excited.”
So, getting this deal done with him four days before the Daft, how does that impact what you’re thinking early in this draft, first or second round?
“Probably not a whole lot. I think in general what free agency did this year, what signing a guy like Trent and having some finality there probably leaves you a little more comfortable in various scenarios. But, I think what I liked about what we did in free agency this year is that there’s not a ton of needs. There are needs. Every roster has them. We don’t kick off for quite a while in Australia, I was going to tell you Friday, I don’t know if it’s Friday, Thursday, whatever it is, but that’s when we kick off. So, we’ve got a long time to go. But, I don’t think it really impacts because Trent’s been in our depth chart the whole time. We had a great deal of confidence that we’d get this done and just happened to be the occasion that it’s Draft week that we did get it done.”
What are your expectations for WR Brandon Aiyuk this weekend? Is that something you think could happen and have you been in discussions with any teams about trading him?
“Yeah, I’ve had some discussions. Do I think it’s a high probability? Likely no. But, is there a chance? Yeah, I think there’s a chance. And as for that whole dialogue, I think I was candid with you guys in saying at the end of the season that he’s likely played his last snap for us. We all are in concert on where we’re going with Brandon. At League meetings, I talked to you guys, I thought it would have been irresponsible not to give it through league meetings because there’s various inflection points where a lot of deals at least start to get talked about. The League meetings are a great opportunity because everyone in the League is there. The Draft is another opportunity because a lot of things happen on Draft week. So, I think we’ll see it through here. We’ll focus on our Draft. If something happens there, great. If not, we’ll re-evaluate it. He’s still a member of this roster right now and we’ll treat him as such.”
Just to follow up on that, you’ve had discussions with other teams?
“Yes.”
You mentioned not having a lot of needs that you feel like on the roster. When you’re looking at this Draft and you’re picking as low as you are, how do you weigh kind of immediate impact versus maybe somebody who may have to wait a year or two to start? How do you strike that balance?
“Well, I think what you try to do is position your team such that you just don’t have glaring holes where like we have to take this position. So, there’s some comfort in that. And I think it likely gives you more of a belief and a comfort in just picking the best players. You can’t go wrong taking good football players. And obviously it’s a combination of all those things. It’s short-term, it’s long-term. But, I think having that in place, some of the things we’ve done this offseason gives us a great ability to go in with really a mindset of taking the best player, not just saying we’ve got to come out with this position.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan had talked at the owners’ meetings about how your run of sustained success was set up in large part by the Draft and TE George Kittle and LB Fred Warner, LB Dre Greenlaw and even Denver Broncos DL D.J. Jones and WR Jauan Jennings. I understand it’s easier said than done, but he said we need more of those types of guys to infuse the roster with an aging type of core. When you look back at the past several drafts, do you feel like you’ve fallen short or is there more pressure to get your next George Kittle in the fifth round or fourth round this year?
“Well, that’s always what you’re striving for, to find guys like that. And we’ve had some great success. I don’t think its necessarily bared out, but I do believe that we’re going to look back on last year’s Draft class and feel really good about what we were able to accomplish. I mentioned it before, all 11 of those players are still here. I think a lot of them are going to be impact players, and that’s why you’ve got to give this thing a couple years, but that’s always what we’re striving for, to try to find players like those guys. You’re mentioning some Hall-of-Fame players there. And that’s always the goal, to try to go find those guys, and I think we have a good idea of what we’re looking for and that’s why we’ve been able to find those types of guys. I think the collaboration that we have as an organization, I think that’s where it really bears fruit is later in Drafts being able to find some people that we have conviction for, that we have consensus on. That’s when we’ve done really well. So, you’re always striving for that.”
You’ve mentioned discussions with other teams, I don’t know how far you’ve gone with any kind of trade talk, but would you say it’s more likely to trade, just given the things you’ve talked about, out of the first round or that you would trade up in the first round?
“You try to stay malleable there, such that you can do anything. So really, up until now, it does strike me every year I think these conversations when the inception of them, it moves forward. It used to feel like the day before the Draft, you start having these conversations. Everybody’s kind of moved up, there’s more activity, and I think it lends towards that. I do believe that this is a Draft, because the top half of the first round probably runs out a little quicker in terms of what people deem true impact players. Now I believe there’s a lot of impact behind that, beyond that. But, I do think there’s going to be a lot of movement this year. It just feels like it’s setting up for a Draft like that because it gets somewhat homogeneous after that, and then it’s what’s your flavor, what are you looking for? So, I do think that sets up for a Draft where there will be a lot of movement. I’m not going to tip our hand, but we have done our homework, we’ll continue to talk to teams and have discussions such that if we see fit the opportunity to move up and grab a player that we really like or you know what, we still like a bunch of players so let’s pick up. Now, I will tell you we don’t have a ton of picks in this Draft, so it does make some sense to where how can we find some more picks and we’ll certainly be open to that.”
With the trades, do you have to do more advance work this year with the eight-minute versus the 10-minute in the first round? How often have you pushed up toward that 10-minute deadline in the past?
“I think when we picked [WR] Jacob Cowing, I remember that we pushed it about as close as you can get it. I think we got it in with like two seconds. I was looking at [associate director of college scouting] Justin Chabot typing and it felt like he was typing with his elbows like, ‘Come on, get it in. Get it in.’ And it was right before we took him. But, that’s a good point. Moving up to eight minutes, a little quicker, I think that’s good. It will keep everyone, I do believe that you’re on to something as to why the dialogue is started earlier because you aren’t going to have that ability on Draft day. Two less minutes to make those things happen.”
How much has it changed over your decade here in terms of using AI to get into players? Whether that’s background checks or projecting on what they can do and how the Draft would unfold?
“A lot. I think just like the rest of the world, if you aren’t using it, you’re already behind. The cool thing is, what we’ve found, you don’t need to be an expert. Just like you at home planning a travel itinerary. You can just ask the thing, and it can spit out some pretty good ideas. Our developers, I think we’re fortunate to be where we are kind of at the epicenter of the innovation there, and we’ve tried to take advantage of that. I do think every team is probably using it in some form or fashion and I think that will only increase as we move forward.”
Given the fact that DL Bryce Huff retired and DL Mykel Williams probably won’t be available for Week 1, how big of a need is defensive end or edge rusher as you enter this Draft?
“First of all, when we got together here 10 years ago, that was always going to be at the forefront. The more good players you can add up front. We’ve always talked about, making life on opposing offenses, on opposing quarterbacks, you want them to have to perform under duress. It’s the great equalizer in today’s football. So much set up for the offense to have success. Can you put that quarterback under duress? Can you hit that quarterback? Can you pressure that quarterback? We fell short of that last year. Are there some reasons? Absolutely. [DL] Nick Bosa was hurt, Mykel got hurt halfway through. But, I think we need to get better in that spot. We need to get these guys back healthy and then we need to improve there. Really excited about free agency. Adding [DL] Osa [Odighizuwa], I just asked Corry, help me with the pronunciation, adding Osa, I think he can really be an impact player. We really believe that he’s going to impact who we are in all facets of the game. Having [DL] Keion [White] now another year with some more experience with who we are, but absolutely you’re always trying to add there, and we’ll be open to that.”
What has defensive coordinator Raheem Morris brought to your guys’ process? Some coaches like to be involved, some don’t. How much has he been involved?
“They don’t have a choice here. That’s kind of what we do and how we roll. Scouts are ahead of them because they’ve got jobs to do during the season, but Raheem’s been the same guy I remember when I sat in the back of the DB room and Raheem was right behind me when he came down from Hofstra years ago. He’s a bundle of energy, he’s curious, he’s insightful. We always talk about there’s guys who drain a room and then there’s guys who give life to a room, he gives life to a room. He’s funny, his whole thing all Draft is, ‘if we draft this guy, I’m throwing a pool party,’ so we’re hoping we’re having a lot of pool parties for Raheem. But, he’s been awesome to work with as has their entire staff. It is nice to get, obviously, you’re always striving for continuity, but it is nice when you breathe some new ideas. I think we’ve been able to do that with Raheem. Kyle’s familiarity having worked with him before, I worked with him before, so we’re very comfortable with him. Raheem has a way of disarming people with his personality. You feel like you know him the day you meet him. He’s been a tremendous addition in terms of his contribution to this process.”
Assuming you guys stick at 27, in your mind, does that pick have to be a day-one contributor or are there scenarios where it could be an upside thing and the guy doesn’t have to play?
“You’re just looking for an impact player and that can come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes you pick a player at that spot. I know probably the expectation from the general public is you want that guy producing right away. Of course you do, but there are scenarios where you say, ‘Look, because of the way we’re structured right now and because of this guy’s history whatever it may be, it may take a little bit, but we believe that what this guy can ultimately become is something special. He can be a needle mover. He can be a difference maker.’ In those scenarios, you might consider taking a player like that.”
What are the numbers like this year in terms of draftable players? Has NIL reduced the amount of pool of players that are draftable?
“Yes, I think it will. Now, I will say we’re just about the same number of players draftable. Our first-round grades are down. I don’t want to give an exact number, but we’re down a little bit in terms of the first-round grades. It’s something we talked about at League meetings. You can’t blame these kids. There’s ample opportunity to go back. Everyone always says, ‘college was the most fun I’ve ever had.’ Now they’re being presented with a lot of motivation to stay. I think it’s something we have to look at as a League, how we’re going to address that because you don’t want to look at the college ranks. We’ve always looked at somewhat of a feeder system. Now it’s more like we’re in competition. You’re seeing a lot more 25-year-old rookies. That’s probably the biggest change. COVID had something to do with it, but it’s also the opportunity for these guys to stay and make good money doing what they’re doing. I don’t have all the answers there, but I do believe it’s something as a League we have to pay a lot of attention to.”
What’s your level of attendance today for phase one?
“I’ve been focused in Draft meetings. I’ve checked really quick. It’s really good. It’s darn near whole. We’re at phase one. These are voluntary workouts, but it’s really good attendance. We knew that. There’s a lot of communication that’s been going on. So, we knew that it would be and sure enough it is, but I don’t have the exact numbers for you.”
Do you have any injury updates or recovery updates for George Kittle and Mykel Williams?
“No, they all continue to do well. Nothing worth mentioning that’s changed from the last time we talked.”
Getting back to Trent, he is going to be 38, that’s a factor. Do you need to start putting together a serious replacement plan at left tackle?
“Sure. We did a two-year deal with Trent with great confidence that Trent’s going to be here for a couple years. The way he takes care of himself, where his heart’s at. In the inception of this offseason, I sat down with Trent, ‘where you at, man, what’s on your mind, what’s on your heart?’ and that gave us a great feel. I think there’s going to be more and more cases of guys playing to this level with just the way they are taking care of themselves. I have a high degree of confidence that Trent can and will do that for us. But absolutely, you have to be looking for whoever. That’s a premium position as it is. I can tell you we’re really excited about [OL] Vederian Lowe. He’s a guy who’s started a lot of games in this League and we felt like we needed to improve as a swing tackle. We also felt like before we had Trent done, we need to have somebody who can start some games if we run into some hiccups there. I think we have really good depth at tackle. But yeah, absolutely. That is a premium position, and we understand the end is closer than it has been, but we’re excited moving forward with Trent.”
What are the challenges of evaluating a 20 or 21-year-old versus a 24 or 25-year-old when it comes to the Draft?
“I don’t think it’s the evaluation process. It’s just like what are you all right with as an organization? Sometimes we’re not trying to sign this guy for 15 years. Let’s get him to the first contract, let’s get him to his second contract. I’m just talking about the health of the League. It’s wonderful when you have an accomplished, experienced player like Mykel last year who was 21 years old when we drafted him. When you’re starting to talk about 25 and 26-year-olds, sometimes they’ve been a little more beat up. Sometimes there’s a history. Why did he have so much movement? Why is he a six-year guy? There’s a lot of reasons behind it, certainly something we look into. But, in terms of the evaluation, I don’t think there’s a huge difference.”
Are you guys going to change anything about the workout programs given the amount of injuries this past season?
“Yeah, I mentioned it at League meetings. This wasn’t in response, this was something we were already doing. Our facility is at our stadium, that’s our gameday so space is somewhat limited, but we weren’t adequate in terms of our hydrotherapy. Guys are using that a lot with injury prevention and injury recovery. That’s being taken care of right now. We’re going to have a really good answer there. We upped our staff. We took an audit of the League and while we weren’t low, we felt like these players, that’s one thing the NIL and these colleges are spending, they’re used to more one-on-one attention. So, we’re addressing things of that nature. There may be some adjustments to the way that we proceed in training camp with our planning and all of that. Those things have always been part of our discussion. You always run that deal into that conversation. Look, we want to callus these guys up. Some of the healthiest teams in this League are some of the hardest working teams. So, you never will sacrifice hard work, but absolutely you’re always looking for any possible advantage, and I’ve mentioned some of the tangible things we have addressed.”
You guys seem to lean into traditional premium positions in the first round, but you also say you want the best player available. When you look at this Draft, do those things align? Is this the type of scenario you’re sitting at 27 you may in search of that best player available look for a position we wouldn’t consider a premium position like a safety or guard?
“I think safety is very premium. That might be a little personal. I always think the way those guys can affect the game because they’re asked to do a little bit of everything. But I’ll get off that soap box and get back to yeah I do think defensive line, particularly the edge, this Draft is fairly deep there. I think the offensive line’s fairly deep in this Draft. Wide receiver, you have plenty of options. So, I think there is alignment there. I do believe with where we are at, we need to add good, young players. We have our vision of what we hold true to. We do a lot of studying of our best picks, why were they our best picks and what in our process did we miss on the guys who haven’t. We’ve done, as we do every year, a thorough review of that. I think it really has us in a good mindset to just let this thing come to us. There’s no other choice, unless you’re going to just move up and go from six picks to a lot less, to sit back and let is kind of happen. We’ll do a lot of those simulations. It’s pretty awesome now. You sit there on the computer, and you let the thing run and boom, ‘alright, here’s who’s left. What are we going to do?’ A lot of this week is a lot of those situations and continue to talk to other clubs so we can have opportunities, whether that is moving up, moving back. We’ll be ready.”
With DL Joey Bosa or other veteran free agents, how much does what you are able to accomplish in the Draft impact how aggressive you can be with those veteran free agents who are still out there?
“I’ll never say never, but I do think like we were aggressive this offseason. We made a lot of ads and now the focus really turns to the Draft. We’ll never close the door to things like that. I do want to congratulate Joey, I believe he got married this last weekend. Congratulate him and the Bosa family. Nick says it was a heck of a party and celebration. He’s a heck of a player, but I think we’re at a place where we’re comfortable with what we’ve done and we’re going to try to focus on the Draft right now and we’ll see what happens after the Draft.”