49ers Draft Strategy: Maximizing Mid-Round Picks for Future Success..
By [JustSportInfo], April 26, 2024
In the high-stakes world of the NFL Draft, every decision counts. And for the San Francisco 49ers, the 2024 draft represents a pivotal moment in their ongoing quest for success. With a plethora of picks at their disposal, General Manager John Lynch and his team face the challenge of building upon their already talented roster while also planning for the future. As the draft approaches, speculation is rife about the 49ers’ strategy and how they will utilize their valuable selections.
A trip down memory lane offers valuable insights into Lynch’s approach to the draft. In his first draft as GM back in 2017, Lynch made headlines with a flurry of trades, showcasing his willingness to wheel and deal to acquire the players he coveted. While the results of that draft were mixed, with only a few players making a significant impact, it set the tone for Lynch’s tenure and his willingness to take calculated risks.
Fast forward to the present, and the 49ers find themselves armed with 10 picks in the 2024 draft, including the 31st overall selection. Despite not hosting many prospects projected to be first-round picks, Lynch remains confident in the team’s ability to find value in the middle rounds. With six picks between the end of the first round and the fourth round, the 49ers have ample opportunity to add depth and talent to their roster.
One key factor influencing the 49ers’ draft strategy is the perceived lack of depth in this year’s draft class. Lynch himself acknowledged that the later rounds may be lacking in quality due to the unexpected return of numerous players to college for another season. However, rather than bemoaning this reality, the 49ers see it as an opportunity to capitalize on their scouting prowess and unearth hidden gems in the middle rounds.
The focus on maximizing mid-round picks is also evident in Lynch’s comments about the versatility of players in this year’s draft class. With many linemen possessing the ability to play multiple positions, the 49ers are intrigued by the possibility of drafting players who can provide immediate depth while also developing into long-term starters. This flexibility aligns with Lynch’s philosophy of drafting for both the present and the future, ensuring that the team remains competitive for years to come.
One position of particular interest for the 49ers is the offensive line. Despite their success on the field, the 49ers struggled in pass protection last season, prompting speculation that they may target offensive linemen early in the draft. However, Lynch’s comments suggest that the team may opt for a more measured approach, focusing on linemen with versatility and potential rather than making a splash with high-profile selections.
Of course, the draft is not just about acquiring talent; it’s also about managing resources effectively. With 10 picks at their disposal, the 49ers must strike a balance between quality and quantity, weighing the value of potential trade-ups against the allure of amassing as many picks as possible. Lynch’s track record suggests that he is not afraid to make bold moves on draft day, but he also recognizes the importance of building a sustainable roster through smart decision-making.
As the draft unfolds, all eyes will be on the 49ers and their approach to player acquisition. While flashy moves and big-name signings may grab headlines, it’s often the unheralded picks in the middle rounds that make the biggest impact in the long run. For the 49ers, success in the draft isn’t just about finding the next superstar; it’s about building a cohesive team that can contend year after year.
In Lynch’s own words, “There’s good players out there, and that’s our job to find them.” With a keen eye for talent and a willingness to adapt to changing circumstances, the 49ers are poised to make the most of their opportunities in the 2024 NFL Draft. As they say in football, it’s not where you start; it’s where you finish. And for the 49ers, the journey to the top begins on draft day…
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A mid-round focus? Examining the 49ers’ potential NFL Draft strategy
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 31: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on prior to a game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on December 31, 2023 in Landover, Maryland.
The Athletic has around-the-clock live coverage of the 2024 NFL Draft. Check out Dane Brugler’s all-encompassing draft guide, “The Beast,” and his breakdown of the top 300 prospects available.
The San Francisco 49ers seem to have many options at their disposal when the NFL Draft starts tonight. How can we expect them to proceed over the next three days?
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Revisiting history is a good starting point. Let’s go back to the 49ers’ first draft under general manager John Lynch in 2017. That certainly set a frenetic tone. The 49ers traded a staggering six times during the event.
First, they moved back from pick No. 2 to No. 3, netting two additional mid-round selections in the process (before picking defensive lineman Solomon Thomas at No. 3). Then, they used one of those picks as part of a package to trade back up into the end of the first round to pick linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 31. The 49ers’ next four maneuvers, a combination of trades up and down, didn’t follow a specific pattern. When the dust had settled, the three-day stretch yielded Lynch’s first draft class, a 10-player haul.
That 2017 draft was a proper introduction to Lynch’s propensity to wheel and deal. We now know that it was not a masterclass in talent acquisition. Of the 10 draftees, only tight end George Kittle and defensive tackle D.J. Jones — fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively — stuck with the 49ers beyond their rookie contracts. Although the 49ers can take solace in the fact that quarterback C.J. Beathard, whom they traded up for in 2017’s third round, left in free agency after the 2020 season to produce the compensatory seventh-round selection that they used in 2022 for QB Brock Purdy.
The 49ers have built the bulk of their current core over the six drafts since — and the trades, though not as frequent as they were that first year, have kept on flowing.
go-deeper
Some didn’t ultimately yield desired results, such as a trade up within 2018’s second round to pick receiver Dante Pettis and the 2021 pre-draft blockbuster that moved three first-round picks for the No. 3 selection — used for quarterback Trey Lance. But others, like 2020’s move up from No. 31 to No. 24 for receiver Brandon Aiyuk, were successful.
And that, fittingly, sets the table for the beginning of this 2024 draft. Aiyuk, who wants a lucrative contract extension just as he’s generated trade interest from other teams, is again in the spotlight, this time as a potential hinge point of the 49ers’ draft plans.
Let’s assume Aiyuk stays put. What can we expect Lynch to do with this year’s collection of 10 picks, the first of which comes at No. 31? The 49ers feel confident they have optionality at their disposal again.
The 49ers, assuming they don’t trade Brandon Aiyuk, will have options when they hit the clock with the 31st pick. (Kelley L Cox / USA Today)
Two clues might help us conceptualize the 49ers’ bigger-picture outlook.
The first: It seems the 49ers didn’t host many prospects projected to be picked in the first round. Only two, Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins, were reported to be part of the 49ers’ list of 30 visits. That might suggest Lynch doesn’t anticipate trading up, though it must be noted that only 23 visits have been reported, which leaves up to seven unaccounted for.
The second clue: Lynch plainly said this isn’t a deep draft because so many more players than initially expected — 83 by the 49ers’ count — decided to return to college for the 2024 season.
“I think the later rounds are going to be lacking,” Lynch said.
go-deeper
Combining those two nuggets, we can surmise the 49ers believe they can make the most hay in the middle of this draft. Six of their 10 picks come between No. 31 and the end of the fourth round, so they’re equipped to take swings over that stretch. And Lynch said the team has first-round grades on 22 prospects, a bit more than they usually do, which means there’s a decent chance at least one of those players will be available when the 49ers are first scheduled to be on the clock.
Will the 49ers, who already have a roster loaded with a lot of talent, lean toward consolidating picks to trade up, or will they defer to the crapshoot nature of the draft and instead trend toward amassing as many picks as possible?
The team has executed a mixture of both during Lynch’s tenure, although trades up have been more common during the draft itself. The 49ers have focused on working the compensatory formula as their primary avenue of amassing picks, and Lynch acknowledged the difficultly of fitting players onto the 53-man roster may indeed play into the team’s strategy this week.
“We’ve got to be smart with that in terms of how we allocate our resources,” he said. “We have 10 picks. You start asking yourself, ‘How many of those can make our team and how do we want to approach that?’”
Any discussion of roster-building strategy must acknowledge a team’s most pressing need, especially if that team is a Super Bowl contender. The 49ers’ most glaring statistical weakness last season came in pass protection, where they ranked in the bottom third of the NFL across multiple metrics. That’s led to the most popular line of speculation regarding the 49ers’ draft plans: that they’ll spend significant draft capital on the offensive line, especially because they didn’t spend heavily there during free agency.
“The interesting thing with those linemen in this draft — we think a lot of them have flexibility to be tackles and or guards,” Lynch said. “So that’s nice that you take somebody with some versatility. I think there are some options and part of the draft, you’re not always drafting for the immediate. Sometimes it’s drafting for future needs. So we have to be cognizant of that.”
go-deeper
Those remarks might hint that the 49ers, given their collection of picks, might not believe a huge splash up front is feasible. They seem compatible with the two earlier clues, which suggest Lynch is confident doing the bulk of his work in the middle of this draft.
Don’t expect maneuvers and picks within that territory to generate huge fanfare. But these coming selections can serve a vital purpose for the 49ers, whose good track record in the draft’s middle rounds meshes well with their desire to infuse the margins of the roster with cost-controlled youth. Lynch believes such picks can energize the current roster and develop into more prominent roles over the next few years.
“There’s good players and that’s our job to find that because you have to have that,” Lynch said. “As many of our players as we’ve paid, you have to rely on rookie contracts. And so, we need to infuse all those things and we need some players to come out of this draft because they’re going to be playing next year and into the future. And that opportunity’s there.”
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