The Seattle Seahawks pulled off a Super Bowl win, thanks largely to the San Francisco 49ers.
As much as both teams would hate to admit that, there's a strong element of truth. Quarterback Sam Darnold was adamant about how positive his one year with the Niners was on resurrecting his career, ultimately aiding in the Hawks hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last February. And with it coming under the tutelage of then-offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, a former assistant for San Francisco, it's not hard to draw the lines.
Kubiak's replacement after he took over the Las Vegas Raiders' head-coaching job, Brian Fleury, seems to be maintaining the tradition of 49ers influences.
And it's not hard to trace the lines with one of Seattle's moves in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Seahawks' selection of Iowa's Beau Stephens has 49ers influence all over it
Fans have no clue how Fleury will perform in his first-ever play-calling role. But, there was one pick from the Seahawks' draft class that certainly has Fleury's fingerprints all over it: grabbing Iowa interior lineman Beau Stephens in Round 5.
It's no secret the Niners love Iowa offensive players, thanks largely to the noteworthy 2017 fifth-round draft selection of All-Pro tight end George Kittle, who helped spark a solid San Francisco run on former Hawkeyes in subsequent years.
Fleury, who worked with Kittle when he was the 49ers tight ends coach from 2022 through 2025, unquestionably understood this and also must have admired the similarities between the Niners and Hawkeyes' zone-blocking schemes.
For a Hawks offense that already implemented many of San Francisco's own systems under Kubiak, it now appears as if Fleury wants players who'll do much of the same thing.
Granted, Stephens is a far cry from being a major impact player and has yet to take a snap at the NFL level.
That said, it's hard not to draw the comparison between what Fleury is doing with Seattle, as well as the influence the 49ers had on him wanting to do so.
Add us as a preferred source on Google