The NFL draft can seem like an interminably long event for viewers, but the decision-makers in draft rooms would likely argue otherwise.
San Francisco 49ers general manager in an appearance on the ‘Unbuttoned’ podcast with Chris Simms and Ahmed Fareed relayed a story from the 2024 draft where the 49ers nearly missed out on making a pick because they couldn’t come to a decision between two players.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan tried delegating the decision-making process and it led to a close call where San Francisco almost didn’t get its pick in in time.
“There are some gnarly close calls,” Lynch said. “Last year in the fourth round we took a receiver, Jake Cowing. And were having trade discussions on that. So we got down to like a minute 45 seconds and then it was going to be Jake Cowing or a linebacker. And Kyle and I like listening to our scouts. And at this point I’m like, ‘Kyle. We gotta go.’ And he’s like, ‘no, we’ve got 45 seconds.’ So I said, ‘okay, fellas. Show of hands, who likes the linebacker, who likes Cowing?’ And it was really, really close. Like, right down the middle.
“And I’m like, ‘Kyle, we’re going.’ And he’s like, ‘hold on. We’ve got plenty of time,’ at 30 seconds. And he goes, ‘alright, here’s why the receiver would be important. Here’s why the linebacker.’ Another show of hands. And it’s like, now there’s 20 seconds and then he goes, ‘okay. One more time. Throw them up.’ And I get the decision. I say ‘turn it in’ with like, seven seconds.”
To make matters worse, Lynch relayed the scout in charge of typing in the pick wasn’t doing so particularly swiftly, and the club ultimately made the pick with two seconds left on the five-minute pick clock.
Had the 49ers missed making the pick, they’d still be able to turn their pick in, but teams behind them could get picks in before and leave San Francisco at risk of missing out on a player they’d want to take.
While it’s a little nerve-wracking to consider the 49ers cutting it that close, it’s a good sign for their decision-making processes that they’re willing to take it down to the wire to ensure they’re getting the player the group thinks is most effective.
Whether the Cowing pick ultimately works out remains to be seen. He was largely a non-factor on offense as a rookie. He caught four of his six targets for 80 yards and carried once for seven yards in 15 games. He did hold down the punt return job and took 28 kicks for 245 yards.
This season should open more doors for him to make an impact on offense, so we should get a better idea if the 49ers’ close call was the right one.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL draft: Kyle Shanahan nearly caused 49ers to miss a pick in 2024
The NFL draft can seem like an interminably long event for viewers, but the decision-makers in draft rooms would likely argue otherwise.
San Francisco 49ers general manager in an appearance on the ‘Unbuttoned’ podcast with Chris Simms and Ahmed Fareed relayed a story from the 2024 draft where the 49ers nearly missed out on making a pick because they couldn’t come to a decision between two players.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan tried delegating the decision-making process and it led to a close call where San Francisco almost didn’t get its pick in in time.
“There are some gnarly close calls,” Lynch said. “Last year in the fourth round we took a receiver, Jake Cowing. And were having trade discussions on that. So we got down to like a minute 45 seconds and then it was going to be Jake Cowing or a linebacker. And Kyle and I like listening to our scouts. And at this point I’m like, ‘Kyle. We gotta go.’ And he’s like, ‘no, we’ve got 45 seconds.’ So I said, ‘okay, fellas. Show of hands, who likes the linebacker, who likes Cowing?’ And it was really, really close. Like, right down the middle.
“And I’m like, ‘Kyle, we’re going.’ And he’s like, ‘hold on. We’ve got plenty of time,’ at 30 seconds. And he goes, ‘alright, here’s why the receiver would be important. Here’s why the linebacker.’ Another show of hands. And it’s like, now there’s 20 seconds and then he goes, ‘okay. One more time. Throw them up.’ And I get the decision. I say ‘turn it in’ with like, seven seconds.”
To make matters worse, Lynch relayed the scout in charge of typing in the pick wasn’t doing so particularly swiftly, and the club ultimately made the pick with two seconds left on the five-minute pick clock.
Had the 49ers missed making the pick, they’d still be able to turn their pick in, but teams behind them could get picks in before and leave San Francisco at risk of missing out on a player they’d want to take.
While it’s a little nerve-wracking to consider the 49ers cutting it that close, it’s a good sign for their decision-making processes that they’re willing to take it down to the wire to ensure they’re getting the player the group thinks is most effective.
Whether the Cowing pick ultimately works out remains to be seen. He was largely a non-factor on offense as a rookie. He caught four of his six targets for 80 yards and carried once for seven yards in 15 games. He did hold down the punt return job and took 28 kicks for 245 yards.
This season should open more doors for him to make an impact on offense, so we should get a better idea if the 49ers’ close call was the right one.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL draft: Kyle Shanahan nearly caused 49ers to miss a pick in 2024
