San Francisco 49ers like 5 QBs that match into quantity Three general within the 2021 NFL draft. might be Kyle Shanahan’s name

SANTA CLARA, Calif .– Three weeks after the San Francisco 49ers boldly traded to number 3 in the 2021 NFL draft, coach Kyle Shanahan said the team was already comfortable enough to draw three of the top five quarterbacks, but the team got on with it the numbers 4 and 5 “get there”.

Last month, Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and their staff put in the remaining work not only to see if they could familiarize themselves with all five – Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson of BYU, Mac Jones of Alabama, North Dakota State Trey Lance and Justin Fields from the US state of Ohio – but also decide which one they think is best for their choice.

Shanahan spoke to the media for about 30 minutes before officially making that decision. He was a late addition to the annual pre-draft press conference and tried hard not to shake hands with the Niners, saying they were, in fact, very fond of all five quarterback prospects.

“We knew there were three at the time,” Shanahan said. “That’s why we thought [No.] 3 was a good place to go. After going through this whole process, I felt good about five guys at [No.] 3. Yeah, we probably had a guy first back then, but we knew that wasn’t set in stone. And we knew we could just find out a little more, especially when you can’t train, you can’t meet with these people, there are a lot of things you can’t do this year. The only way we could go would be if we got closer to the point where we could do something deeper that we didn’t have to hide. We made. During this time, I think every candidate has gotten stronger. And yes, we probably started with a thought, but it has gotten better since then, and so have all the other candidates. “

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Since the deal was announced, the 49ers have been operating on the common assumption that Lawrence and Wilson will leave with the first two picks, giving them a choice among the group of Jones, Lance and Fields.

Shortly after the deal, Jones was the player most associated with the Niners by league watchers, thinking he was third on the list behind Wilson and Lawrence. Lynch and Shanahan spoke to the media on March 29 and flew for Jones’ second pro-day on March 30, while another 49ers contingent, including assistant general manager Adam Peters, went to Ohio to see Fields.

After that, the 49ers played a prominent role for Lance and Fields in the second Pro days as well, with Shanahan and Lynch both visiting. Meanwhile, Lynch said the Niners had collected opinions on all three players from coaches, boy scouts, college coaches, private quarterback coaches, and family members.

And while Lynch said he encourages everyone to firmly believe in their opinion, the decision will ultimately be his, and Shanahan in particular, to decide.

“It was an incredibly thorough process, but ultimately someone has to make a decision and in this case we are both,” said Lynch. “Everyone has ‘you do this’ in their contract and the draft is mine, but I told Kyle from the start that he and I would do this together. And when it comes to quarterbacks … we have a head coach who does it is also our offensive game caller I will always put off for him. The cool thing is that Kyle respects my opinion enough, he always wants it and in the end we make decisions, we will and will come Thursday, we have a choice that hopefully everyone will be proud of. But that will be judged in the years to come and we have done our best to make sure it is a great decision for this franchise. “

Another piece of the puzzle that should soon become clear is what will become of reigning starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Lynch and Shanahan firmly believed that, aside from one too difficult to resist trade offer, they intended to keep Garoppolo while the drafted rookie learns and competes behind him.

That tone seemed to have softened a bit on Monday when Lynch and Shanahan were asked several times about Garoppolo, including whether he would be on the list the day after it was drafted.

“I cannot guarantee that anyone in the world will be alive on Sunday, so I cannot guarantee who will be on our list on Sunday,” Shanahan said. “Well, that goes for all of us.”

Less macabre, Lynch said he contacted Garoppolo last weekend and Garoppolo was part of the virtual meetings and was planning to take part in the off-season training program.

“Jimmy was absolutely professional, as he always was with us,” said Lynch. “Jimmy knows – I think one thing we’ve always tried to do with all of our players, including Jimmy – is to be very frank and honest with what we do and why we do it, and my experience as a player, if people do that, you can live with it. “

As the NFL world waits for the Niners to be voted third, Lynch confirmed a decision made. Right Tackle Mike McGlinchey, San Francisco’s first choice in 2018, will receive his fifth year option. That said, if McGlinchey doesn’t renew by then, he’ll earn a fully guaranteed $ 10.88 million in 2022.

In the meantime, all eyes will be on the quarterback, for whom McGlinchey will block in 2021.

“Do we know exactly who we want?” Shanahan said. “Maybe. Probably. But maybe not. I don’t feel like we have to say that. It’s not just for us. But a lot happens between now and the draft, and you don’t want the whole league to know for sure what you’re set on four days before the draft and we also take care of a lot of people who were involved in it … I don’t know if I want the league to know, I don’t think it necessarily helps and Therefore, no one is really going to know whether we know or not until we make up our minds.