The San Francisco 49ers will introduce head coach Kyle Shanahan to the media on Thursday, when he, general manager John Lynch, and CEO Jed York hold a press conference at 1 p.m. PT. Shanahan was announced as the new head coach Monday afternoon, and he joined the team in Santa Clara either late Tuesday or Wednesday.
On Tuesday, John Lynch made an appearance on local radio to discuss everything that has been going on. He talked about how he and Shanahan have had some preliminary discussions, but they will sit down further to figure out what to do at the quarterback position, and a host of other positions.
The 49ers showed patience in getting potentially the best coach of the hiring cycle, but there is a downside to that. Following the New England Patriots victory over the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Bill Belichick talked about how the one downside to the playoff run was being five weeks behind most other teams in the offseason process.
We have heard plenty about what Kyle Shanahan might want in a quarterback, but Yahoo! NFL writer Eric Edholm made a good (and probably obvious) point:
Any reports about what Kyle Shanahan might want at QB have to be couched with fact that he probably hasn't yet studied all draft prospects.
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) February 7, 2017
This is not to say that Shanahan can’t know what he likes in terms of general characteristics. Matt Maiocco spoke with him at the Super Bowl, and he provided some insight into what he likes in the position. He talked about finding someone with the ability to throw the ball naturally, and does not have to think hard about the throwing mechanics. He also wants someone who is fearless, has some intelligence, but also is able to handle pressure, think fast, and react. All generally valuable traits.
However, it will take some time to figure out which of the draft prospects, or even free agent or trade prospects might fit the bill. Shanahan probably has some opinions on the veterans on the market, and might even have caught some college ball during the season. But, even with that, the intensive study of various prospects is going to take some time, and require some catch-up in the coming weeks leading up to the 2017 NFL Combine.