Draft week is here, and with 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, there is plenty of excitement for who the San Francisco 49ers braintrust will select to join the ranks of the red and gold.
To preview the big weekend ahead, president of football operations/general manager John Lynch addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon to detail the 49ers draft approach and priorities in 2025.
"I think (the draft) is the best representation of our organization coming together because it really is a collective process, and ultimately, decisions have to be made," Lynch said. "But, we really have heard everyone use the word, consensus. Consensus is something we look for. When we have consensus throughout our organization and alignment, we do really, really well in the draft."
According to Lynch, reaching that consensus on draft picks amongst various groups within the organization is an ongoing process. And with no crystal clear direction on how the ten picks ahead of the 49ers will go, the collaboration process becomes even more important.
"You do your work, you grade every player," Lynch said. "You have a lot of conversations at the highest level with head coach Kyle Shanahan, myself, CEO Jed York and (address) what we want to come out of this draft with, our coordinators. Then you take it to the whole group, and we rely a lot on our scouts."
He also detailed the pre-draft meeting that is set to take place on Wednesday.
"We'll get in there and our scouts, we call it table talk," Lynch said. "They stand on the table, and they say, 'These are the three guys I'm most convicted about in this draft' for the value. And so, it never stops. It will go right down to the pick. We'll have a pretty good idea. We'll have it ranked... It actually makes it really fun, and you got to think on your feet, and I really enjoy it. So, it's one of the things I enjoy most about this job."
Each year, the draft pool looks a little different and boasts its own strengths. After completing their extensive evaluation of this year's NFL prospects, Lynch reported that his team has identified 20 first-round draft grades and 200 draftable players. This bodes well for the 49ers who are tied for the most picks this year and are looking for starters at multiple positions following some bigger name free agency exits.
"I like the depth of this draft," Lynch said. "I like that there's a lot of quality starters throughout this draft. I think it runs deep into Day 2 and even into Day 3. With our process, knowing what we like and knowing that really well, who we are and who we want to be, I think there's a lot of starters in this draft. You could argue that maybe the high-end and the front isn't as deep as it might have been in other years, but I think the quality depth that runs deep into this draft is a strength. That's exciting for where we're at."
It's also because of the depth of this draft that Lynch believes there is a desire for several teams to trade back. As it stands, there have been no first-round trades. However, there is plenty of time for that to change between now and the start of the draft on Thursday evening.
"You can have all the plans in the world, but a draft is going to break out," Lynch said. "A bunch of different things are going to happen, and we'll see what happens, but my inclination is at least in the first round, I think a lot of people are probably going to try (to trade back). But, when everyone's trying to do the same thing, there's not much opportunity to do so."
Offseason Workout Program Updates
Lynch was brief while addressing attendance and participation in the team's offseason workout program. Phase 1, which is a voluntary for players, opened up on Tuesday. No exact numbers were given but the general manager did note that the 49ers had a large contingency opt in for this portion of the offseason programming. That contingency included left tackle Trent Williams and running back Christian McCaffrey, who had their 2024 season end early due to injury, and quarterback Brock Purdy, who is working towards a contract extension with the organization.
"That's Brock," Lynch said. "He's a pro. Brock's very clear-minded and not going to let other people influence what he should be doing. That's one thing everybody I think respects about Brock. He's done a lot for this organization and we're grateful for him and looking forward to having him as our quarterback for a long time."
