President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan Press Conference
President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch
and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Press Conference – April 25, 2025
San Francisco 49ers
Maybe go down the list of the three guys and what jumped out to you about them?
President of Football Operations and General Manager John Lynch: “Yeah, so [DL] Alfred [Collins] he’s a guy that throughout the process we just really zeroed in on him as a player and what he could provide at a spot that we needed some help and huge, huge, human being, football player, this guy’s 6-5, 332 pounds and 85-inch wingspan, 35-inch arms, he’s got a real skillset. We like the fact that in the pass game, he can win quickly, and we think he can develop some skills in the pass rush. He’s really adept at batting balls down. He’s got just, I think he affects the quarterback in a big way but can be a real presence in the run game. [LB] Nick Martin the linebacker, he’s a run and hit player. He fits our style of physicality and playing the game the right way. Two-time captain at Oklahoma State, just had our type of player all over it. You know, swarms to the football and you feel him on the field, not the biggest guy but has long arms that kind of mimics [Denver Broncos LB] Dre [Greenlaw] in a lot of ways. So, that’s high praise and he’s got a long way to go to show that he can be like that, but that was a guy that was reminiscent of that. And then the last guy [DB] Upton Stout, I think [49ers area scout] Warren Ball, our scout who scouted him said it best, he’s got the heart of a lion, and he’s got a lot of qualities we really like and I think translate well to the nickel position. I played with, [Pro Football Hall of Fame CB] Ronde Barber and these guys, Upton, I don’t know him that well, he came on a 30 visit and feisty is the word I would describe to his play, his demeanor. And he’s got a lot of juice that was as good a call as we’ve ever had, calling a kid letting him know. Yeah, I think he’s still saying, ‘let’s do it’. So that was fun and good day for the Niners.”
Would you like to ideally make it so DB Deommodore Lenoir can just stay outside?
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan: “Possibly. I mean, we’re going to still play it out. I think [DB Deommodore Lenoir] DMo is great inside, I think he’s great outside. We probably see Upton definitely as an inside player. So, that was a big need. The way it fell, especially in the draft, but DMo can do either, but I think it’s easier for a guy when he can stay at one spot. So, we will work that through OTAs and training camp and see how it ends up.”
All four of the picks so far, defensive players, pretty easy to determine. Was that kind of predetermine, you were going to do that, basically go all defense in these first two days?
KS: “We hoped so. I mean, you always want to address your bigger needs, but you don’t just draft to address needs, it’s got to fit right. So, we hoped it played out that way because we needed to do that. And starting with the first pick to the next three, it all worked out that way and we were able to fill probably our biggest needs on the team right now.”
JL: “Yeah, one cool thing, I think, it’s not like Kyle scripting 24 offensive plays. I think in a draft you could play around, we do plenty of it, but much like a script in offense, it’s third down or it’s situational. The same thing happens in a draft. But I would tell you that with [DL] Mykel [Williams], Alfred and Nick, those were the guys we wanted. Those are the slots we wanted. And so that’s pretty cool when it works out that way. And Upton, we knew we wanted a nickel and there were a number of guys in play, and he ended up, and he was a guy we had a lot of affinity for and so, it was really fortunate that he was still there at 100. It was getting a little hairy, but he hung on. So, that was awesome.”
You guys compared LB Nick Martin to Denver Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw a little bit, but he also said that he saw Greenlaw and LB Fred Warner as like a dynamic duo. He also said that he studied Fred Warner for a long time. I think that he said that’s the only jersey he owned, is a Fred Warner jersey. Knowing that, do you guys see the possibility of that same type of tandem between the two of them?
KS: “I mean, that’s as special of a tandem to me as I’ve been around. So, I mean, that’s a lot, but I mean that’s what you hope for. And I think Dre is one of the best run and hit linebackers that I’ve ever been around and probably the best in the league at it. And when we looked at the college tape, we felt this was the guy who was the best in college at that way. And it was cool just picking up the phone, just like what you said it, I might’ve told him, I was like, ‘Hey, we lost a big hitter.’ And he goes, ‘Coach, I already know. I already know I can do that. Like, that’s where I wanted to be.’ So, it was just, I mean, what you said is accurate, he was, he knew all about us and I think he was just as excited to come here as we are to have him.”
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has very concrete ideas of what he needs for his scheme. How much input did he have on these picks?
JL: “Saleh’s got a lot of input. We always kind of refresh as a staff on what we’re looking for. I think the impressive thing about Saleh, we have a system and the core and the fundamentals of that stay consistent, but hopefully we’re always evolving. I think Robert’s really into that and we do a good job. He does a nice job of communicating that. Kyle’s involved on the defensive side, I think it’s one thing we’ve tried to pride ourselves on being very clear with what we want, the traits at each position. And that helps come Draft time. Our scouts, continuity that we’ve had for a long time gives them a lot of confidence in going out and finding the right kind of players. And I think Alfred, the length that he and Mykel have, that’s something we’ve been coveting for a while and to have that now. But I think they’re both guys that move fairly well. So that’s exciting for us.”
KS: “We’ve been here nine years and Saleh was first to come with us. We’ve changed coaches a few times but our system not just schematically, but the way we do the Draft is that doesn’t change. It’s extremely important what the scouts say and what they find and what they present to us. It’s extremely important what the position coaches find and it’s extremely important what the coordinators kind of relay to me and kind of how I interview all them. And then I balance it out with the scouts and with John and how we all come to a conclusion on stuff. But we’ve been doing this for nine years together and having a new coordinator that’s not a new coordinator because he’s been here the past, kind of made it a very smooth, easy deal for us.”
Do you see all these guys, especially the first three are Day One starters. I know it’s always competition, but are you drafting them to be Day One starters?
JL: “Yeah, we have aspirations when you’re drafting Day One and Two, you’d love for that. But these guys, everything is earned in this league. And I think that’s the biggest principle and it has to be and it’s the way you want it. And so these guys will have to earn it like everyone else. We think they all have qualities that can lend to be starters, but there’s a lot of competition, a lot of good football players that are already here.”
Couldn’t help but notice some similarities between Nick Martin’s athletic score and S Malik Mustapha’s. I know they’re at different positions, he’s probably about 10 pounds lighter, but I know you’ve had a lot of linebackers with safety backgrounds. Is there this increased push toward this adaptability on the backend to give Robert versatility with what he can call there?
JL: “Well, I think one thing we look for, we play a lot of zone defense. How fast can you get back, plant your eyes on the quarterback and break? And then go do some damage when you do break and how fast can you close? And you guys see that with Malik, right? He sees it and he goes and gets it and Nick Martin has some similar qualities. So, albeit different positions, those are the type of players we like.”
It’s not terribly unusual to see 220-pound linebackers anymore, but when you have a guy who is a run-hit, 220-pound linebacker, how do you how much do you weigh like, can this guy hold up? Can he be durable in the NFL?
JL: “He had a knee injury last year, but I think other than that, been a fairly healthy guy. So, you always weigh that, but that’s why you go get big guys like Alfred in front of him. I think it’s a nice combination and that’s, I think, what I was alluding to, the style of football that he plays. But one thing about Dre, Dre was kind of similar size, but had long arms and so 32-inch arms is long for that, for a five-11 guy. And that’s a good equation. It helps keep lineman off you and all that and powerlifter in high school, some of those things that, I think, help him out with the way he plays.”
Did Collins have a medical issue too? They said he was in a boot at Pro Day.
JL: “He was in a boot at Pro Day. You’re right, he was. He had a couple of things that he worked through, but he played through it and he had a really good senior year.”
For a lot of different reasons, you guys have said goodbye to a lot of players this offseason. Haven’t had a lot of additions. How nice is it to be getting players in, players you picked, players of a lot of talent that you guys believe in?
KS: “Oh, I told John, today is the first day I kind of exhaled since free agency. You lose a lot of guys so you just, for whenever that happened, two months ago, a month ago, a month and a half, but you come into work and you look at your board and there are a lot of empty spots. You’re studying the Draft, but you don’t know how it’s going to pan out. And there are a lot of empty spots there that we would love to fill, but if they’re not there then you go other positions and stuff. So, I was really hoping that we could fill out a lot of those spots and we did today. Which, that’s the start of it, but you’ve got to have some people there and now it’s to add some competition. And hopefully we add some more tomorrow. But it definitely was a good feeling to add some guys here, because we lost a number – more than we ever have before.”
Going into Day Three, you still have a lot of picks to work with. How assuring is it that a lot of your plan up to this point has kind of worked out and what kind of confidence does it give you to maybe play around with some things?
JL: “It’s a good foundation. This was a huge weekend for our organization. We love our core of guys, but there’s a lot of opportunity on this roster right now and it’s also a lot of necessity, I think, to infuse some youth and some young players and some quality young players. I think this draft, we felt like that was the case, that there’d be a lot of quality starters through Day Two and into Day Three. And that’s how it played out. And we were fortunate to get the guys that we did. We’ve got a lot of work still to do. And Kyle said it yesterday, sometimes you can think, like when you’re trading, ‘Well it’s just a seventh.’ Well, like he said yesterday, it could be [WR] Jauan Jennings, it could be [QB] Brock Purdy. So, you’d never take these things for granted. And the same goes for our free agents. We had our free agent meeting today, talking about how we pair a scout and a coach and a financial guy so we can go to work. And when you think of the [RB] Matt Breidas and [Minnesota Vikings RB Jordan] JP Masons and [Houston Texans LB] Azeez Al-Shaairs. There are a lot of success stories here and so we’ve got to keep doing work.”
Sometimes on Day Three, there are veteran trades that finally go through because the Draft is finishing up. But is anything like that on the horizon?
JL: “We don’t have any of those conversations going on right now. We’re kind of focused on this, but always open to listen and making calls and things like that.”
Do you see any similarities between Upton Stout and a young former NFL CB K’Wuan Williams?
JL: “Yes. Good call.”
KS: “Yes.”
There was a report that TE George Kittle was in the building. Has he reported?
KS: “He was here today, yeah. I got to hang out with him for a little bit. I worked out with the team, so it was cool.”
Was there any consideration, did you have to think about maybe an offensive player who was kind of drifting around? Not anyone specific, but was there some thought about drafting a playmaker or anything like that?
KS: “Always. It just, it’s how it unfolds and you’ve got to compare it to who is the best player and what needs are and all that. But it was close at a number of times, but I think ideally, we would’ve liked to have seen it go the way that it did. But if there was ever something there that was too good to pass, you don’t hesitate to pivot.”
Where you guys, where are you guys at swing tackle right now? Is OL Spencer Burford, OL Austen Pleasants, are those guys possibilities at that spot?
KS: “Yeah, everyone is a possibility right now. Everyone who is listed as O-Lineman has a spot. We had 73 and now we have 77, so that means we’ve got room for 13 more.”
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