John Elway helping John Lynch succeed as 49ers’ GM

[…] the only current GM who can relate to his current situation is Elway, 56, who was a greenhorn NFL executive when he joined Denver in 2011. Both Elway and Lynch played football and baseball at Stanford and were drafted in both sports. The Broncos are 67-29 and have won five AFC West titles and a Super Bowl since Elway was hired. Elway knows from experience that it will take time for Lynch to grasp the administrative procedures and policies, but the primary focus of Lynch’s job is identifying talent. Elway says Lynch is uniquely qualified for the role after spending the previous 24 seasons in the NFL as a player or broadcaster. “It always takes some time, but the key thing about him is he knows football, he knows football players,” Elway said. In 2013, Lynch attended draft meetings, evaluated players and went to the combine with the Broncos.