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The San Francisco 49ers‘ draft strategy has been a topic of discussion over the last few weeks. Moreover, if the Niners again whiff on this draft class, could general manager John Lynch’s job be in question?
At some point, having a low hit rate on their draft picks should come back to bite any general manager, given that it’s a low-cost way to replenish the squad for the upcoming season.
For San Francisco, their latest first-round picks have question marks as injuries impacted the 2025 seasons of Mykel Williams and Ricky Pearsall. Nonetheless, even if the 49ers whiff on their 2026 draft class, don’t expect that to cost Lynch or head coach Kyle Shanahan their job.
“I don’t see a world where John Lynch ever gets fired by the San Francisco 49ers,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero said on the May 18 edition of the “Rich Eisen Show.” “Same thing with Kyle Shanahan. They stabilized that franchise after; if you remember how things were for several years before they got there, it was a constant churn.
“It was the end of the Jim Harbaugh era, which became the Jim Tomsula era, which became the Chip Kelly era. The 49ers are competitive year after year.“
49ers Have Been Competitive in Lynch/Shanahan Era
Despite the misses in the draft, Pelissero notes that the 49ers have hit on trades and free-agent signings that have kept them competitive during this era under Lynch and Shanahan. As the insider mention, there were lean years between the end of Harbaugh era and the time Lynch and Shanahan showed up in the Bay Area.
“They certainly, I think it’s fair to say, have supplemented a lot through trades and, at times, free agency because they’ve had some misses in the draft,“ Pelissero added. “I know there was a minor uprising in the media and among fans because you take De’Zhaun Stribling with your second-round pick, and that’s the starting point for your entire draft.
“They’ve been really good at drafting guys on Day 3. Brock Purdy, of course, was a pick there, along with guys like George Kittle and Fred Warner, who were not first-round picks. At the top of the draft, the bang for the buck hasn’t always been there.”
John Lynch Would Need to Walk Away Rather Than Fired
Moreover, the insider states that the only way he sees Lynch and the Niners parting ways is if the general manager decides he wants to pursue something different. However, he does acknowledge 49ers fans frustration with the team’s drafting and lack of impact players at the top of the draft.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of whether you fire John Lynch. If anything, at some point, could John Lynch decide, ‘I’ve had enough, and I’m going to walk away. I’m going to go into an emeritus role?’ They’re structured differently, too, because Kyle Shanahan has such a huge voice in everything they’re doing. They’ve also got a lot of accomplished front-office people…
“I think the fans have a legitimate gripe at the top of the draft. You’d like to land more superstars in the draft, or at least more starters. Christian McCaffrey was a trade. They gave up, I think, two second-round picks in that trade, which turned out to be a pretty good deal. They’ve also made some strong free-agent signings over the years. No, I don’t think John Lynch gets fired.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
