49ers G.M. John Lynch threw water on the report that the team is strongly considering taking a quarterback with the second overall pick in the draft during a Monday pre-draft press conference. And then Lynch essentially confirmed the report.
“I use the word ‘assumptions,’” Lynch said regarding the NFL Network report regarding the very real possibility that the 49ers will go for a quarterback at No. 2. “It’s what people do. They try to gather, but I know that, I don’t know obviously, but like I said I think the discipline out of this building’s been excellent. And so, I think that’s what they are, they’re assumptions rather than, I think in each situation it says ‘sources.’ I don’t know who those sources are because there’s only a few people that know and so we feel real good about that.”
But then the ultimate source in San Francisco acknowledged that, yes, a quarterback could be taken in that spot.
“I think we’ve stated from the beginning that a franchise quarterback is something we believe is essential to winning in this league,” Lynch said. “We hope that [Brian] Hoyer and [Matt] Barkley come in, and they were both brought in for a reason, but we feel like we’ll continue, always continue, to try to improve ourselves at that position. And so I think the answer is yes.”
Regardless of which guy the 49ers take, Lynch said they’re narrowed their selection down to two or three guys, and that he and coach Kyle Shanahan will make the final decision. One potential decision remains a trade out of the No. 2 spot to a lower position.
“What we’ve said, and the truth of the matter is, we’re willing to listen,” Lynch said. “But we’re very comfortable that we can get to the point where there’s a direction we can go where we’ll be ecstatic and we’ll be passionate about that player.”
They’ll be even more passionate if they can get the player they’d take at No. 2 and also land another pick or two for sliding down. Despite more than 20 new additions to a team that went 2-14 a year ago, the 49ers have plenty of needs -- and they could use as many draft picks as they can get.