49ers NFL Draft: Kyle Shanahan’s quarterback choice will define his tenure

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is betting his future with the 49ers on this NFL Draft.

It’s not an exaggeration to call this draft one of the most important ever in the history of the San Francisco 49ers franchise.

To use some poker terminology for a moment, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have essentially shoved every single chip they had (and after turning around a miring franchise and taking them to a Super Bowl appearance, there’s plenty of chips) in the middle and dared everyone to call.

The 49ers have traded up for a quarterback whether that be Justin Fields, Mac Jones, Trey Lance or (if the New York Jets shock everybody) Zach Wilson.

Toeing a precarious line, Shanahan and Lynch are deciding to try to get back to the Super Bowl while also hitting the reset button at quarterback. It’s a bold decision that will be seen as either genius or lunacy depending on how it turns out.

Most people would describe the tenures of Lynch and Shanahan in positive terms. They’ve by no means been perfect, but the overall arc of the 49ers has been from mediocre to a team with championship credentials. The 2020 season was a step backward, but one universally recognized as happening because of an almost endless list of injuries and nothing to do with the coaching or management.

In fact, you could argue it was because of the coaching and management that the team was as successful as it was in 2020. So maybe the fans should take a deep breath and let them make the call.

There’s been a lot of misguided anger online regarding the speculation that the 49ers traded all the way up for Jones. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. But with their jobs on the line and Shanahan’s mastery on offense, do fans have any right to begrudge them taking the guy they want?

Or maybe it’s Lance. The decision to keep incumbent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo suggests the team is going to sit whoever its backup is. Lance is by far the rawest prospect in the draft but has a big ceiling,

Or maybe it’s Fields, the talented quarterback who can run like a running back and still throw well. Can he be the guy to add a new dimension to the Niners offense, making Shanahan realize he’s the man for the future?

Or could it even be Wilson? We know Shanahan and Jets head coach (and former 49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh were in conversation this offseason prior to the 49ers trading up. Could Saleh have told Shanahan who he was targeting as a favor to his former boss, and the 49ers realized Wilson was now a realistic possibility?

Shanahan and Lynch have been at the team since 2017, and their jobs were still seen as secure. But they’ve changed that perception massively by making the gutsy call to mortgage that job security to trade up.

Whomever they pick is the future of the franchise, and whoever they pick will hold both the jobs and legacies of his future head coach in his hands.