Saban said the 49ers didn’t ask him anything about Mac Jones at Alabama’s pro day

In our most recent mock draft roundup, all of the prominent talking heads in the media have the 49ers selecting Mac Jones at No. 3 overall. They seem to think it’s set in stone that Jones will be wearing Scarlett and Gold for the foreseeable future.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban was seen at their pro day a week ago standing next to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. On Dan Patrick’s show Tuesday morning, Saban said the two sides didn’t discuss much of anything:

“[Kyle Shanahan] didn’t ask me a thing. I stood right next to him. I said hi to him. John Lynch too. They didn’t ask me a thing. Maybe they thought they weren’t allowed to.”

Saban is on the record for saying that outside of his good friend Bill Belichick; not many NFL personnel men reach out to him about the players he’s coached. That comes as a surprise to Saban, as it should for anyone.

This could be San Francisco playing it close to the vest. It could be the team holding a grudge four years later after the Reuben Foster pick backfired. It’s all a guessing game. Saban could be playing the game media game for all we know, and both parties could have had conversations.

Lynch has commented on missing out on Patrick Mahomes. Shanahan mentioned the team being interested in Deshaun Watson and Matthew Stafford when he spoke a week ago. I don’t believe the team is looking for a dual-threat QB. But ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler said the Niners have been looking for upgrades all offseason.

Even the most objective analyst, who might have Jones as a slightly higher talent than Jimmy Garoppolo, wouldn’t come to the conclusion that Jones is the next Tom Brady. I find it hard to believe that Shanahan feels like Jones is worthy of two extra first-round picks and a third-rounder. If so, the team believes Jones is a transcendent talent. A guy who wasn’t the starter on his own college team until the final year of his career.