The San Francisco 49ers were on hand for the Notre Dame Pro Day, and that gave them another opportunity to meet with and observe quarterback DeShone Kizer. And once again, they took full advantage of their time.
The 49ers met with Kizer during the NFL Combine, and general manager John Lynch said Kizer blew the doors off in their meeting. This week, ESPN reported that the 49ers met with Kizer the night before the Thursday Pro Day. Gil Brandt later confirmed the meeting and said they had dinner. No word on what kind of food!
On Thursday, Kizer met with the media following his workout and said he had spent a good deal of time thus far with Lynch.
“It was awesome,” Kizer said of having Lynch at Notre Dame. “Mr. Lynch and I have spent quite a bit of time together. We have gotten to know each other quite well. I look forward to what they do with the number two spot.”
There is no word yet on if the 49ers will have Kizer visit Santa Clara on an official visit, or go through a private workout. Whether or not the 49ers have either of these, it is clear that John Lynch has some interest in the quarterback. It is possible he is trying to sell Kizer and get someone to deal up, but I’m not so sure about that. Instead, it seems like Lynch could legitimately be a big fan of what Kizer brings to the table.
The big question is what Kyle Shanahan thinks of Kizer. Lynch has control of the 90-man roster, but it seems fairly obvious that Shanahan will have a big say on the quarterback position. I don’t think he will have the only say, but the 49ers hired Shanahan to rebuild the offense, and they did so based in part on his work with other quarterbacks.
I still think the 49ers go elsewhere at No. 2, but if Shanahan likes Kizer, maybe we see them either hope he slips to the second round, or move up into the back-end of the first round if he slides. What do you think?