Kyle Shanahan says his goal is to ‘see how bad a draft pick we can get’

It’s been good to see Jimmy Garoppolo shine and the rest of the San Francisco 49ers roster enjoy themselves down the stretch of what was a very rough season. It’s going to end on a positive note, regardless of how things go against the Los Angeles Rams, because the future is bright.

There are some, though, who can only focus on the NFL Draft and the placement the 49ers are in. They’ve dropped several spots over what many deem as “pointless” wins, but there are a few issues with this line of thinking. The first is that if John Lynch is bad enough as a general manager that he can’t draft outside of the top five and find success, the franchise is doomed anyway.

The second is a large combination of things that relate to team chemistry, momentum, mindset, morale and so much else. Kyle Shanahan talked about the concept of tanking for draft picks and, surprise, he’s not a fan.

"My goal is to see how bad of a draft pick we can get,” Shanahan said on KNBR Friday. “I know not everybody wants to hear that, but I definitely don't sit here and just look at the draft order cause you're right, that isn't fun to look at. I'm worried about right now.

"I do think it's a lot more important than people realize. It is tough to get your team to learn how to win, and learn how to compete, and just to believe and have that confidence that separates you from some of the other teams in this league. I feel we're doing that right now and I do believe that's a lot more important than whether your draft pick is seven or eight or whatever.

I tend to agree with Shanahan’s stance. There are so many things that go into building a productive roster and happy locker room. The fact that everyone involved with actually playing football despise the idea of tanking for draft picks should clue everyone in on it: it’s not smart.

"You deal with now, and you take the best player to add to our group when we get to the draft,” Shanahan said. “You're not thinking that your whole team is riding on that second pick or that fifth pick. It’s, your team is your team. We're just hoping to add some people to it when we get to this offseason."