The NFL combine is an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to try and raise their draft stock by quantifying athleticism and meeting with teams. For the 49ers, the measurables taken away from the combine don’t carry a ton of weight in their player evaluations.
General manager John Lynch told reporters Thursday at the combine the team does have physical checkpoints their ideal prospects will have.
“We have our ideal profiles for each position. We have tapes that show kind of, ‘These are the guys that we think are the ideal fits for our scheme.’ It’s very helpful for our scouts,” Lynch said. “I think our offensive staff, led by [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], do an incredible job. Even though they’re young coaches, they’ve been in this system for a long time. So, they have a great library of what we’re looking for.”
Most of what the 49ers find on prospects will be found on tape. The team is ultimately looking for talented players. If they fall in love with a player on tape, but he doesn’t check a certain box at the combine, that doesn’t mean they’re going to pass on him.
Lynch explained that good football players matter more than fitting a cookie-cutter profile.
“I think one thing that Kyle and I kind of decided on early on is, while we have ideal profiles, we like good football players,” he said. “Sometimes there’s an outlier who doesn’t have the exact measurables that you’re looking for, but the guy can flat-out play. He can make people around him better. I think you use it as guidelines and this is what we’re ideally looking for, but let’s never turn a blind eye to really good football players.”
This is an important note to keep in mind as numbers from players start coming out. It’s easy to fall in love with a physically gifted player because of how quickly that player can become an idealized version of himself that doesn’t actually show up on tape. For example, a wide receiver who can’t run routes won’t suddenly be able to run routes because he’s tall and fast with a big wingspan. Physical tools are great, but deploying those physical tools is more important.
Lynch’s comments don’t mean the 49ers will throw out the combine completely when evaluating prospects, but the overall performance will take a back seat to film.
What matters more for San Francisco are meetings. They’ll want to get to know players, ensure they’ll fit the locker room, and help support the established culture.
About the Author: Insidethe49
