We’ve heard plenty about the MMQB founder Peter King’s time with the San Francisco 49ers during the 2017 NFL draft. He put together a big feature the Monday after the draft, and followed up with a shorter piece later in the week.
Today, he is back with another long piece accompanied by video. The piece is about the 24 hours of day one of the draft. This is the third one in the MMQB series, following Adam Schefter and Patrick Mahomes. I’ve embedded some fun video at the bottom, but the real detail is in this feature column. The column opens at 3:30 a.m. PT at John Lynch’s hotel room, and closes at 11:55 p.m. PT at John Lynch’s hotel room.
The article includes some things we already knew, but throws in a lot of additional nuggets from the first round. The team was looking at moving back into the first round, even if it did not involve getting linebacker Reuben Foster. The piece reveals the 49ers were interested in running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver John Ross, edge rushers Charles Harris, T.J. Watt, and Takkarist McKinley, and possibly Jabrill Peppers. Kyle Shanahan would have considered Kevin King if he was there at 32, but not any higher.
It gets fascinating as the 49ers try and work a deal to get back into the first round for Reuben Foster. The team was very high on him, ranking him No. 3 on their big board. They first contacted the Baltimore Ravens at No. 16, and offered a second (34), third (66 or 67) and a fourth (109 or 111) to move up. Ozzie Newsome wanted a second and both of their thirds. John Lynch said no to that one.
Washington declines a chance to move down and selects Jonathan Allen. Lynch gets in touch with New York Giants GM Jerry Reese, and offers a second (34) and two fourths (111 and 143) for No. 23, but gets rejected. Eventually, the deal gets done with Seattle at No. 31, and the 49ers get Foster.
The article is a great read, and worth your time. The attached video (below, or in the link above if you can’t see it) includes some amusing lines. Here are a couple:
Kyle Shanahan: “We have to get more. It’s not ‘a guy’ in this draft. But you also don’t want to trade back and take 14 guys who aren’t ‘guys.’”
Paraag Marathe on Bears deal: “We’re close to a handshake. We’re high-fiving, we’re not yet at a handshake.”