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San Francisco 49ers: Grading John Lynch’s first year as general manager

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers answers questions from the media on Day 2 of the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MARCH 02: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers answers questions from the media on Day 2 of the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

John Lynch. San Francisco 49ers. 2017 NFL DRAFT. A-.

Simply put, John Lynch did a phenomenal job in his first NFL Draft.

The first move, trading down from No. 2 in a move with the Chicago Bears, landed the Niners the player they wanted all along, defensive end Solomon Thomas, and three additional draft picks. One of those was subsequently used to grab standout linebacker Reuben Foster at the tail end of Round 1.

Lynch “fleeced” the Bears, as shown in the video below:

In total, Lynch hauled in a promising crop of players. Foster ended up being Pro Football Focus‘ fourth-highest ranked linebacker in 2017 despite missing six games to injury. And the Niners ended up finding some key impact talent in the later rounds too:

Despite a sluggish start to his rookie campaign, third-round draftee Ahkello Witherspoon looks to be everything a team would want in a starting cornerback. Tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Trent Taylor appear to be steals in Round 5, and safety Adrian Colbert (Round 7) was, perhaps, the best surprise in the latter rounds of the 2017 draft class.

Related Story: Adrian Colbert was 49ers' most pleasant surprise in 2017

That draft haul would make almost every other NFL executive jealous. Especially for a rebuilding team.

There are a few things that mark it down, though.

Thomas had a so-so rookie year, grading out at 53.2, per PFF. That’s not what you want out of a top-five pick, although his development could make this a fine selection in a year or two.

Quarterback C.J. Beathard was a bit of a reach in Round 3, and running back Joe Williams (whom Lynch reportedly didn’t want) missed the year with an ankle injury.

Still, it’s hard to find anything of significance wrong with last year’s draft class. An A-minus is more than warranted.