It's about time to wrap up coverage of the final day of the 2023 NFL Draft, but not before we take one last journey through Saturday's press conferences to give you some worthwhile tidbits you might have missed.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch spoke with reporters after the draft finished Saturday, as did assistant general manager Adam Peters and director of college scouting Tariq Ahmad, along with most of the players the 49ers selected on Day 3. We have a rundown of some of the key points of those sessions that haven't been posted yet to 49ers Webzone, including what was said about adding a quarterback, why the 49ers restructured the contract of Christian McCaffrey, and much more.
Let's get into it in this version of 49ers Notebook.
Not done at QB
It was widely assumed the 49ers might draft a quarterback at some point on Day 3, but things didn't turn out that way in the end. With Brock Purdy sidelined into the summer as he heals from elbow surgery, the team would still like to add some depth to the quarterback room.
As of early Saturday evening that it hadn't happened, but that doesn't mean the 49ers weren't looking.
"Yeah, they are looking to fill everything with the (undrafted) free agents," Lynch said. "We'd love to get a fourth guy here. We'll see which one it is. We'll be alright, though, in the offseason. We'll get to training camp. Hopefully we'll get Brock back soon. Regardless, we'd love a fourth guy here."
Trey Lance and Sam Darnold have been holding down the fort in the meantime and will continue to get the bulk of the reps until Purdy returns.
"You never know how much we end up doing in the OTAs sessions, but it has been good having two guys out there throwing," Lynch said. "They have been on their own. We'll start with everybody tomorrow where we can actually go out on the field with them as coaches. Hopefully when it's said and done, we'll have a fourth guy."
Lynch on McCaffrey's restructure
The 49ers made a minor headline during the draft when they restructured the contract of running back Christian McCaffrey, which opened up over $8.5 million in cap space.
On Saturday, Lynch revealed the reason behind the restructure, saying it gave the 49ers more breathing room to sign their draft class.
"We were pressed right up (against the cap limit) when we were to sign our rookies," Lynch said. "We could have done it, but we would have been right there, and we wanted to have some flexibility and it made sense."
The restructure doesn't change anything in terms of McCaffrey's status with the 49ers.
"Christian's going to be here, simple conversion, and we did it and we're thankful to Christian for agreeing to do it," Lynch said. "Good thing for him. Good thing for us."
Searching for GTFOs
The 49ers revealed Saturday they are in search of something called "GTFO" from their defensive linemen, and that they found it in high quantity in fifth-round pick Robert Beal out of the University of Georgia.
Those who aren't sure what the letters stand for are free to use Google to learn for themselves. But the 49ers use it to describe a pass rushing trait, as Lynch explained Saturday.
"I tell our analytics guys all the time, [Research & Development Manager Matt] Ploenzke and his group, go watch the coaches," Lynch said. "Get in there and let's come up with measurables that are what we coach, and GTFO is something [Defensive Line Coach] Kris Kocurek is always screaming. Do you guys know what it is? Yeah, so (Beal) had the highest GTFO grade in the draft. So, we're really fired up about that."
Lynch added, "It's within the first two yards is what we're measuring, and they've come up with a way to measure that and Beal's right at the top of it, so that's something. We're always talking about getting length and explosion out of that stance, and Beal's a guy that kind of embodies that."
Peters gave more specifics about GTFO, explaining why it helped lead to the selection of Beal.
"Yeah, the GTFO is something that our R&D group came up with and really just mimicking what coach Kocurek wants," Peters said. "And you guys know what the acronym means, or I assume you know, but it's something we look for and it's something they measure, and they do a great job of that. And when you get to the later rounds and you see guys like him stand out on that and then it matches up with his 40 and all the different athletic measurements, it's something that separated him from the other guys at that point on the board."
The 49ers plan on turning Beal loose against the quarterback, which is a recommendation they were given from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
"Kirby said someone's going to get a really gifted and talented player if they just let this guy go hunt QBs and set edges, and when he said that, that's exactly what we do," Lynch said of Beal. "He's not really good at going back and all that stuff. He could do it but what Kirby said really resonated, or I saw the same thing. He ran a 4.47 [40-yard dash]. So, he adds speed. He's in the 6'3" range but he's got 34 and 35-inch [arm length] so he's got that length you look for."
Embracing the violence
49ers tight end George Kittle loves blocking as much as he loves catching passes, so there's no doubt he'll appreciate what seventh-round pick Brayden Willis said after the 49ers drafted him in Round 7 on Saturday.
Willis was known as a punishing blocker at the University of Oklahoma before building some production as a pass catcher during his final season. He gave one of the better quotes about blocking in recent memory when speaking with reporters after the draft.
"Moving another man from point A to point B without him wanting to be moved, I think that's the best feeling in the world," Willis said. "It's just as good as scoring a touchdown. When you're able to move someone under their will, it's the best feeling."
Willis thinks that feeling is something he has in common with Kittle, and he's probably right.
"I think that's the joy he gets from it," Willis said. "That's the same joy I get from it. It's the violent nature of the game. And I think that if you're a fan of the violent nature of the game, the physicality and everything, I think that you get a joy out of that too. So, like I said, I think we're both fans of the violent, physical nature of the game and that's why we love to do stuff like that."
It's safe to say there could be a spot at Kittle's Tight End University for Willis this summer.
Maturity matters
It isn't common for 49ers rookies to already be married with a child, but that's the case with cornerback and fifth-round pick Darrell Luter Jr. And it may have actually helped Luter's chances of being drafted by the 49ers.
Peters said Luter brought a maturity others didn't, and that perhaps family life has something to do with it.
"He was probably the most mature guy we met probably in the whole process," Peters said. "He's married, he's just, he's a man already and he impressed the heck out of me, and I know he impressed you too. And that was probably the thing that stood out with Luter the most. Obviously, the stuff on the field, we love his physicality, his strength, his upside. Junior college guy who's got a lot of upside still, so yeah, we're really excited about Luter."
The 49ers have found that maturity makes a difference in their players given the difficulty that comes with playing in the NFL.
"It's a hard game," Peters said. "The NFL is really hard, so you've got to be tough, you've got to be mature in order to do this, it's your job. So, we found on our team, the mature guys do really, really well. You know, the guys that are physical, that are tough, do really well and he fit that bill."
Bell on his college and pro teammate Jake Moody
Kicker and third round pick Jake Moody remained the most talked about player in the 49ers draft on Saturday, given his high draft position and his possible immediate importance to the team. Moody will be joined in San Francisco by wide receiver and University of Michigan teammate Ronnie Bell, who was drafted in Round 7 by the 49ers on Saturday.
Bell was asked about Moody by reporters Saturday and said the 49ers will be getting a cool customer.
"Jake, he's always been one about his business. He's one that you know what you're going to get, and you expect such high things out of him," Bell said. "And he always delivers throughout his whole career. We got there in Michigan the same summer, and throughout his whole career, he was always very quiet, very about his business, but he always put in the work and was always knocking down the field goals, knocking down the big ones, and it was just a lot of fun... I'm excited to do that again."
