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This is a random bit of news for you. Over the weekend, Jason LaCanfora reported that 49ers director of player personnel, Joel Patten, had left the team.
Longtime 49ers scout Joel Patten is no longer with the team. He is not among their traveling party here for these practices and opted to leave the organization, sources said. Patten was given the title of Director of College Scouting a few years back, and was named director of player personnel in 2013 after Tom Gamble left San Francisco to take a similar position with the Eagles. Patten entered the league as a scout with [Washington] in 1996.
Tim Kawakami subsequently tweeted out that an NFL source confirmed the report, and indicated Patten left before the draft.
It does not sound like the 49ers plan on hiring from the outside to replace him or officially promote anybody to the title at this point.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) August 12, 2014
I'm told the 49ers intended to announce Patten's departure before the draft, but I never saw or heard it then & I see no record of it now.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) August 12, 2014
Patten was officially announced into the player personnel role on May 1. The move followed Tom Gamble's departure for the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after Super Bowl XLVII. The 49ers did not appear to have skipped much of a beat with Gamble's departure, but "did not appear" is the operative phrase. While we can see how things change when a coach or player arrives or departs, it is not so simple.
Just like football is a team game, front office work is a team game. Trent Baalke has final say on matters, but he is receiving input from numerous individuals. Regional scouts are providing reports on various players, that information is in turn being cross-checked by higher-ups, and the draft board is slowly assembled even further up. We don't know who has contributed exactly what, but it it at least helps knowing some of the key players. You can view the full personnel and scouting department HERE.