After winning Friday's coin toss against the Bay Area rival Oakland Raiders, general manager John Lynch says the San Francisco 49ers are again open for business at the ninth-overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft. The 49ers held the second-overall selection in 2017's NFL draft and traded it to the Chicago Bears for their third-overall pick and a bevy of other selections. Present for the coin toss were NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano, Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson, Lynch and Oakland Raiders brass, head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie.
"We're always open," Lynch said in a sit-down interview with 49ers Studios. "That's the cool thing about the draft is that there are so many options. We don't want to be picking high anymore. We don't want to be picking high in the draft anymore. It's fun during the draft, but it's reflective of something that happened before.
"We don't want to be in this position again, but while you are, you have to take advantage. A lot of people want what you have. We're going to have a lot of people interested, but if there's a guy we want and we feel strongly (about), we'll stay right there.
As Joe Fann of 49ers.com pointed out, with help from Bryan Broaddus of dallascowboys.com, the 49ers' ninth-overall pick is worth 50 points more than the Raiders' 10th-overall selection. That equates to a difference of a fourth-round value. This prompted Fann to ask Lynch about the possibility of moving up instead of down.
"We're not afraid to do that as well," Lynch said. "That's a neat thing. That's the way we've approached things is to not be closed-minded to any opportunity."
Lynch and Shanahan are all about the "Faithful." According to our own David Bonilla, Lynch and Shanahan hope to carry momentum from 2017 to the end of 2018. Championships are the goal, of course. Lynch had a message for the 49ers fanbase.
"First of all, we call our fanbase 'The Faithful.'" Lynch said. "I'd just like to say we appreciate you. That stadium started to rock again, and that's what we want to carry on to next year. We're going to continue to build a great team that's going to make you proud.
"Our goal when [Shanahan and I] took this is to compete for championships every year. We're not there yet. We've got to continue to build it, but that's where we're going, and we're sure about that. And we appreciate the support from all our fans."
