The San Francisco 49ers have a total of 10 picks heading into this NFL Draft this year and if you're wondering who they might take with those picks, John Lynch may have offered a small hint on Monday.
During his pre-draft press conference, the 49ers general manager was asked how he felt about legacy players -- current prospects who had a dad that played in the NFL -- and it sounds like Lynch is a big fan of that.
"Well, I believe in bloodlines. I really do," Lynch said. "I mean, I think there's evidence that you should."
That being said, Lynch did point out that he wouldn't draft a player just because he has a dad who used to play in the NFL. The 49ers GM did say that he'd still need to do his homework on the player before using a pick on him.
"You have to step away from that and you have to evaluate it," Lynch said. "And that's sometimes difficult to do and that's why a lot of different eyes, a lot of different perspectives. And that's what we try to do when we have our R&D look at it, we have our coaches look at it, we have our scouting look at it, we try to hit it from a variety of measuring points and inflection points as to how you grade these guys because you don't want to do it just off that. That wouldn't be smart. But, these guys, there's some inherent pressure on who their dad is, but there's also some good genes and I think that matters."
Lynch definitely seems intrigued by the idea of drafting a legacy player, so let's take a quick look at five of the options the 49ers might have.
- DT Kris Jenkins (Michigan): Kris is the son of Kris Jenkins, a four-time Pro Bowler who played on two different teams (Jets and Panthers) over his 10-year career at defensive tackle. The younger Jenkins is projected to go in the second or third round, but the 49ers don't have a huge need at defensive tackle, so it would be a surprise if they take him.
- WR Brenden Rice (USC). Brenden is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, who just happens to be a 49ers legend. Jerry, who is arguably the best receiver in NFL history, spent 16 of his 21 NFL seasons in San Francisco, including 1988, when he was voted the MVP of Super Bowl XXIII. The younger Rice is projected to be a third-round pick and if he's still available when the 49ers go on the clock with the 94th overall pick, he might be someone they consider.
- EDGE Jonah Elliss (Utah). Jonah is the son of Luther Elliss, who spent 10 years in the NFL (1995-2004), including nine with the Detroit Lions. The older Elliss was voted to two Pro Bowls and he even received a vote for rookie of the year in 1995. Elliss is projected to go in the third-round, but the 49ers might not be interested in adding an EDGE rusher at that point, so this one seems unlikely unless he drops into the fourth round.
- LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Clemson). Like his name says, Trotter is the son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr. The elder Trotter spent 11 seasons in the NFL with eight of those coming in Philadelphia where he was voted to the Pro Bowl four times. The younger Trotter is expected to be a third or fourth-round pick and the 49ers have THREE picks in the fourth round (124, 132, 135), so it's possible they could consider him if he's still available when they're on the board late in the fourth round.
- WR Luke McCaffrey (Rice). Luke is the son of Ed McCaffrey and brother of Christian McCaffrey, so his name is definitely familiar to everyone in San Francisco. Playing for the 49ers has been a family affair for the McCaffreys. Although Ed spent most of his 13-year career in Denver, he won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1994. Thirty years later, he watched his son, Christian, lead the 49ers to an NFC title. Lynch knows the family well, so it won't be a surprise if the 49ers think about taking Luke with one of their late fourth-round picks.
There's also another NFL son that 49ers fans know well, but there's a chance he won't be drafted, so we won't include him in the above group of five.
- RB Frank Gore Jr. (Southern Mississippi). Gore is the son of Frank Gore Sr., who just happens to be the 49ers all-time leading rusher with 11,073 yards. The elder Gore also has the third-most rushing yards in NFL history with 16,000, which he racked up during his 16-year career. The younger Gore likely won't be drafted until the seventh-round, if he's drafted at all, but he could be someone the 49ers sign as an undrafted free agent if both sides are open to it.
Two players we didn't put on our list are Marvin Harrison Jr. and Joe Alt. Although both of them have a dad who formerly played in the NFL, the 49ers have almost a zero chance of landing either guy since both Alt and Harrison are expected to be top 10 picks and the 49ers don't get their first pick of the draft until 31st overall.
Whatever happens with this group of NFL sons, Lynch is looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
"It's a fun element to this year's draft that I think is going to be interesting to watch to see how it unfolds," Lynch said.
It's just one of the many reason why you should keep your eyes glued to the draft when it kicks off from Detroit on Thursday.
