While the San Francisco 49ers entered the draft with 11 total selections, they lacked picks in the first, second, and fourth rounds. After trading up in the third round, the team finished with nine draft picks but still didn't make their first selection until pick number 87.
Meanwhile, one of the 49ers' division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, owned two first-rounds and two second-rounders. The team from the Pacific Northwest has been praised for what they did with their 10 selections, with many feeling the talent gap has narrowed between the 49ers and Seahawks.
What does the 49ers' general manager have to say about the Seahawks' impressive haul?
"Well, I'll say this, [Seahawks GM] John Schneider is as good at this job as anybody in our league," John Lynch said Thursday morning on KNBR's Murph & Mac show. "And so you always know you're going to have competition with he and Pete Carroll, the way they work together, and they do it really well. They've kind of reinvented themselves numerous times.
"So when we got here (in 2017), Seattle had the upper hand. The Rams then got it, and we kind of have taken control. But we know Seattle is coming. We know the Rams are coming. Arizona had a really good draft, so you always better be going."
While many believe the Seahawks had the superior draft, partly because of their better ammunition and the fact that they didn't use a third-round pick on a kicker, a move criticized by analysts, the 49ers are confident in what they accomplished.
"I'll tell you this, we feel really good about this draft," Lynch said. "It was hard to sit back and wait until pick 99. Next year, it's going to be nice that we're going to be back with a full complement and some, with probably four comp picks we're looking at; so in addition to all of our originals, other than a fifth-round pick."
That fifth-round pick next year, along with selections in the second, third, and fourth rounds this year, were shipped to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for running back Christian McCaffrey. The 49ers general manager certainly doesn't regret that decision.
"The other thing I'd say is every time I was sitting there in the second round saying, 'Man, it'd be nice to have a [higher] pick in the third round and the fourth round,' I'd say, 'You know what, it's also nice to have Christian McCaffrey.' The other people have to deal with that.
"But yes, we feel the Seahawks coming. They're really good. They had a really good draft last year. I think they've repeated it this year. But the most important thing is that we continue to focus upon ourselves, and I think we continue to make our roster better. I think this draft class will only add to that. And we're excited about our football team.
"Now we just got to go put it together. You put the best pieces out there. Now you've got to come together, start to develop that chemistry, which is forged through hard work and dedicating to a common goal. And our guys are in the process of doing that, and I'm really excited about this roster. There's not many holes in it, and we're excited about it coming together."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
