The San Francisco 49ers have had a rough season on the field, but they will get at least one, and possible two benefits from it. The team will have a high draft pick, but they also might get the chance to coach at the Senior Bowl. Every team sends scouts and executives to the Senior Bowl, but the two coaching staffs get an up close and personal opportunity to evaluate the players.
It should surprise nobody that 49ers GM John Lynch would be happy if his coaching staff got a chance to be there. He recently chatted with Guy Haberman and John Middlekauff and told them he thinks the 49ers would coach the Senior Bowl if invited.
“Well, hopefully we win a little more games and we don’t have to. But it’s always a valuable deal. So many players that have been found in this league because, hey, we coached them in the Senior Bowl — really valuable experience.”
Lynch did say he does not want to speak for anybody else in his support of it, but that’s simply because Kyle Shanahan would have some say in this as well. While some rest and relaxation would be welcome after the season, I can’t imagine Shanahan and his coaching staff would turn down this kind of opportunity.
The coaching staffs are invited, and it usually involves some of the worst teams in the league. The Cleveland Browns will likely have the No. 1 overall pick, while the New York Giants have a strong chance at the No. 2 pick. Haberman and Middlekauff made a good point about the Giants. If Ben McAdoo gets fired, their new coaching staff likely would not get the invite. And given the high profile nature of the 49ers and the popularity of their coach and GM, I would be surprised if they did not get an invite to coach the game.