Just when you thought John Lynch and the 49ers couldn’t be any more transparent, they go and pull this off.
The 49ers GM told us Paraag Marathe was the one executing the trades, Reuben Foster was third on the team’s draft board and Vince McDonald actually did hit the trading block — information reporter generally don’t get it. It’s refreshing honesty in Santa Clara.
Well, we got a whole lot more on Monday morning, thanks to MMQB.com’s Peter King, who was embedded in the John McVay draft room upstairs in the 49ers’ facility.
Definitely read his whole piece, but here are a few highlights about Marathe making all the calls, Shanahan truly only wanting C.J. Beathard and running back Joe Williams being off Lynch’s draft board hours before San Francisco selected him.
Marathe called the Bears. “To try to solidify this now,” Marathe said to Pace, “we’re gonna need a little bit more to finish. It wouldn’t have to be much. Like, your four. So let’s say your third, 67 overall, this year, your three next year, and your four this year, 111 overall … I’m not gonna string you along … No … I will do it quickly. Let me get with John and Kyle and I’ll call you right back.
Shanahan only wanted one quarterback from this draft, hence why the 49ers took him so early. “We’d all sleep a little better if we got him instead of waiting ’til tomorrow,” Jed York said. So they dealt for the 104th pick to choose Beathard, the grandson of former Super Bowl GM Bobby Beathard. “He processes the game so well,” Shanahan said. “Tough as s—. Got a chance. He reminds me a lot of Kirk Cousins.”
Great story from Peter King. Great sense of story telling from the 49ers. They have nothing to hide as they start this rebuild and it was incredible to get a peak behind closed doors.