Five minutes early. Right, how's everyone doing? Welcome? This is.
This to me, there's nothing like watching our guys compete on Sundays or Thursdays or Mondays. We play a lot of different days now, but nothing like watching our guys compete. But to me, this is really my favorite time of year as an organization, because, you know, I think it represents our organization coming together and working for a common goal.
As much as anything we do.
When you look at you know, the guys I call our unsung heroes, our scouts, our R and D department, our salary cap people, our medical our player engagement, our video people. Everyone is involved, our coaches, our personnel. Everyone is involved, everyone has heard. Everyone comes together, and I'm really proud of the process and proud. I do want to mention some of those scouts because they, like I said, they often go unnoticed behind the scenes. And we've got
a tremendous college scouting staff. So we'll start with the guy who now is our director player personnel. But tarka Maud, you know, for this draft class, has really been the director of college scouting, and Tark does a tremendous job. Or Jay Gillen has really contributed in a big way to this. Our assistant director of College Scouting, Justin Chabbott,
has been with the Niners forever. Our national Scouts, Chip Flanagan, Josh Williams, and Dom DeCicco Area Scout starting on the West Coast, Crowley Hanlin our Southwest Scout, Hayden Fry Midlands, Ryan Kessenich Midwest, Warren Ball Southeast, Steve Rubio our Northeast Scout, Eric Thatcher and our national our NFS Scout, Mike Zakowski scouting assistants. They're too young to get a shout out, but they do a tremendous job. And Jesse Sayamalu, our
scouting coordinator. You know, we really have a great group and our docst I do want to mention them, Timmick Adams, Nino doc Nino.
Uh. They they work tirelessly on this.
And you know the reason being, you know, when I used to work at Fox and broadcasting, John the holy Grail was John Madden, and everybody talks about like, you know, when you're in broadcasting, all the things you want to get into a broadcast producing and Madden used to say, well, what happens if a game breaks out and that's the same thing as the draft. You've got to be nimble, you've got to be flexible so that you can react to whatever comes your way.
And that's why you have to be prepared.
And we're extremely prepared and ready and looking forward to the opportunity. You know, to me, what the draft signifies, it's an opportunity to improve your organization, to infuse youth, to infuse competition, to infuse speed, to infuse toughness, dependability, all the things that we really covet. This is an opportunity to do at and so I just I can't wait.
And uh with that, you know, I'll open up questions and before you know, questions, you know, I know a couple of years ago, there was a lot of talk about another receiver debo, and I said the same thing, but with b A. You know b A, I've I've communicated on a couple occasions, on many occasions, our wish and our wish is that he's here and part of the Niners for the rest of his career. You know,
we're working through that. And you know as such, you know, I was a player once and I never liked my business being out in the public, and so I'm going to respect that. I'm not going to speak for their side. Can say we're having good talks and I'm just going to leave it at that and we'll focus on.
The draft here today.
But that's that's just want to understand you guys have a job to do and respect that. But that's kind of the tone I'm going to take there. So uh, with that, open up for questions.
Communic did you use emojis?
There you go the first question.
We communicate well, and we love the guy, so thank you.
He is not Yeah, he's not here right now now.
At all.
Yeah. Sure, we received calls about a lot of players.
Yeah, give permission to his side.
To I'm not I'm not going to get in all those details. We're we're really focused on BA being part of us. He's under contract and we're we're looking forward to that.
Said years of our contract.
They went into the summer later, they impacted the way they played that season, impacted the way they played that knowing that does that just in terms of the timeline of trying to.
Get something done with that, Yeah, I think that's important. I think there is you know, human nature is that deadlines force these things. But you know, I think you can always learn from situations, and you'd be a fool not to.
I'd like to.
I'd like to have our business tidied up at a little uh, you know, those those things, they ran the course they needed to. And I'm proud of our record of getting the guys we want to get done done. But I'm right there with everyone else. I'd sure like it to happen sooner.
So those guys said that, you know, it kind of affected them going into.
The season, you know, not having a normal routine and you know that stuff lingering.
Is that a concern for you guys if it does linger?
We both those guys had fantastic seasons, but and they're fantastic players. But of course, you know, I just I just you know, alluded to it. You you always want to learn and and you know, if we can get it done sooner, I'm always for that where we all are for the.
Guys that are back in the building.
And you guys being back, you're not that far removed from the Super Bowl.
Do you feel a sense of excitement? Is there any lingering bad taste from how it all ended?
No, And that's that's important. Tracy of the We've got We always have great participation and we have that right now, and the guys are out there working and that's kind of symbolic of turning that page.
And that's so important.
You know, our our organization was heartbroken, but like I think of our coaches, I failed to mention them in our in our scouting process. After a long, hard season, they had to turn around really quick. And our coaches are very involved in our scouting process. And so while they're taking some off time, they're watching players for this draft. And the players, you know, they they went through the same thing and so well. For some teams it's been
three months since they've been on the field. We've been on the field a lot sooner. But that comes with the territory. It's a lot better than the alternative. So but yeah, now you start forging. Every season is a new one, every group's a new one. You got to
forge your identity. We've got a bunch of new players that we've you know, put onto our team with free agency, and those guys are all coming together and it's about the work now and it's about becoming a team, this year's team, and you know, those guys are working really hard and right now it's just you know, Phase one is with our with our strength coaches, and they're doing a really nice job. But the guys are working and we're happy for that.
Spot at thirty one where sometimes teams try to trade back into the first round, maybe to get a quarterback. Have you had any sort of ground laying the groundwork type discussion with other teams about hey, if this comes up, maybe we're interested in being at thirty one.
Yeah.
My experience, Matt is that that happened some owners meetings, but really this week is kind of the week those calls start to say, hey, just so you know, we have some interest and potentially coming up, and you kind of take note of that, and so I anticipate that some of that will come. You know, it's going to be an interesting year. I think it's an interesting draft class. I was just looking at my notes and you know, like one interesting thing to me dynamic and the way
the world right now. We put a grade on players in the fall if we think there's a chance they're going to be more than fifty percent chance that they're going to be in this draft. So eighty three players from this year's class that we put grades on, So thinking there's more than a fifty percent chance thinking they're entering the draft are back in college because of NIL and things like that, there's now a different route these kids can take and some as you know, thirty five
of those with starter grades. So that's a significant amount. And how that affects this draft, it's it's going to be interesting. I think the later rounds probably going to be lacking, you know. So it's a new dynamic, that one that I imagine we're going to be faced with each year. I mean, you can go back and make
a million dollars. I don't know if that's the going rate, but it is providing competition, and you know, that's that's a significant amount of players eighty three, eighty three that we put grades on grades on USh one hundred and I think one hundred and seventy draftable grades, so eighty.
Three in addition to that, you know.
So, yeah, but you know, it's a it's a different dynamic, and it's it's something the whole league's going to deal with.
What's your philosophy on trading down in the draft, particularly early?
Yeah, So I think you know we've shown, you know, in our time here, you know, the very first move we made in the draft was trading back a spot, and so we've traded back, we've traded up, and I just think you have to be flexible, I think, you know, having said what I just said, you know, sometimes trading back gets you later round picks, so I think the or mid round picks, and I think maybe your thought process if that then that pick you gain allows you
to move back up someplace else, then maybe that's a good thought. But those are the things you got to prepare for all these scenarios, and we'll see where that goes. I think thirty one is an interesting spot kind of where Matt was going. I think the end of day one, teams are eager to go get someone, so I would imagine there'll be some calls and we'll be open and flexible.
We've done it, you know, both ways, in a variety of ways, and been successful doing some And the big thing is just be prepared for every every scenario, you know, I think, yet you have to be flexible. Human nature is to underestimate the uncertainty of a draft, and I think we try to account for that, ye And the only way you do that is being prepared for everything.
Go ahead, Nick.
Yeah, you guys always say you don't have thirty two guys with first round grades.
How many guys do you have with first round grades this year?
And does that the fact that you're unlikely to have thirty one of them make you is there a sweet spot?
I guess is what I'm meaning.
Yeah, we're not at thirty two this year.
We're slightly more than the last couple of years. I mean, so that's a good thing. But you know, I think that just speaks more to our we have a high standard that we don't you know, we don't change, you know, blow with the wind to try to put first round grades. But still, I mean, when you know, when we like players, you know, we we draft them, and I think we don't get beholding too well. The league sees them here, you know. And so twenty two is is kind of
where we're at twenty two first round grades. We do have a high standard there that is up from the last couple of years, and so I think that's a good thing.
There's a points of really good tackles in this draft. I don't know if you share that measurables. Yeah, there's guys there, hard question you probably won't want to answer, is, given what you have, would you say in a draft that has a lot of good tackles, you're going to want to get one.
I think it's good tackles, it's good linemen, and I you know, the interesting thing with those linemen in this draft, we think a lot of them have flexibility to be tackles and or guards.
And so that's nice that you take somebody with some versatility, you.
Know, I think so that's uh, I think there are some options, and you know, part of the draft is not always for this you know, you're not always drafting for the immediate. You know, sometimes it's drafting for future needs, and so we have to be cognizant of that. We've got to be smart with that in terms of how we allocate our resources. We have ten picks, you know, you start asking yourself how many of those can make our team and how do we want to approach that?
And that's that's part of what makes this whole thing so fun and enjoyable. And you know, but yeah, I do think a strength of this draft to me, a lot of premium positions are strong, and so that's that's exciting.
You know, every draft's different. What would you say, is the deepest position in this Hue's draft. And also, you guys all have a few gold helmet designations.
How many do you have this year without obviously, yeah.
I believe when we you know, this weekend we kind of went through those again. I believe we were about sixteen gold helmets, and we like keeping that standard. Eye you always want to give more because our hit rate with those guys, But then you start, you know, let's let's stick to our standards because of the reason our hit rights EGH is because it is such a high standard.
So we're at about sixteen gold helmets, and you know, we do well with those guys because it takes into account everything we believe in and you know, that's that's talent, that's spirit, and you know, playing like a forty nine er, and it's that's always a fun part of the process, guys, lobbying for a guy be a gold helmet and say, now he's not making the standard, and you know, we've got to hold true to that.
So you drafted Brandon, I you can twenty twenty. It was the pandemic draft.
Can you compare that war room, those memories to just a normal war room.
Oh, gosh, that was so strange, like it was for everybody. But you know, first of all, think in no way we were going to be able to pull this off as a league, you know, doing this remotely, and what happens if my I have terrible internet where I live here, we are in the heart of Silicon Valley and I can't get I drop phone calls left and right, you know, And so I'm sure a lot of people have experienced that, how are we going to put on a draft? But the league pulled it off. We were able to pull
it off. Our video guys, our tech, our I T people did a tremendous job. It was strange, but it was fun. It was it was something different. And I remember trading for Trent Williams in my backyard and getting the word that that it had come through because it wasn't looking good that, you know, two days prior.
So a lot of memories from that time. I prefer, uh and enjoy it.
I'm sure, like everybody much more doing it up here in our draft room, a lot more comfortable and uh, you know, I think much better situation.
Those were.
Those are strange times, though, and I give the credit the league a lot of credit for forging on and and pulling off something as monumental as that.
The way they did there was one up there approach changed or evolved since you started doing this a few years back. How is our approach? Well, I think with continuity. You you know, the way we look at things.
You you know, there's John Gruden used to talk all the time, you never stay the same.
You're either getting better or you're getting worse.
So we evaluate really hard, you know, when it's fresh each year, and then over time when you can see how things pan out. But we look at our process in every way, and so I think you're always trying to make improvements.
Then there you're.
Also looking at what what's worked, and not just from a gut feeling, from data, and we're probably much more data driven. We have a tremendous R and D department led by Matt Plonsky, does a great job and and you know, here's here's what we think, but here's the reality. Here's here's what the numbers show as to what translates to success.
So we take a hard.
Look at that, and I think every year we try to attempt to tweak our process to make it even better. But The great thing that I think, you know, I think that I'm very proud of is the way we work together. Our coaches are scouting, our r and d are medical. We all are working together. Our player engagement.
Austin Moss is very involved with getting to know the players because he deals with our players once they're here, and he's got a great experience, So I think with experience knowing what you're looking for, I think we're really good there in terms of knowing what we like in players. And it may be different from what the league sees things, and we're.
Okay with that because we've studied that. We've gone to great.
Lengths to define who we want on this football team and that's served us well.
Obviously, every draft is important. Does this feel any different parties last year on the rookie deal, big contracts, veteran players. Does this feel any more loaded to you because of that?
No?
I think the only you know, you're always thinking about that position and to know we have an answer there and a really good one that's company and it allows us just to go in and build around him and make our team stronger. And you know, I think very highly of our roster what we have I think it's going to be hard for these you know, for young kids to come in and.
Make a mark. But there's there's good players.
And that's our job to find that because you have to have that as many of our players as we've paid, you have to rely on rookie contracts, and so we need to infuse all those things that I said earlier. And we need some players to come out of this draft because they're going to be playing next year and into the future, and that opportunities there.
Your first first round pick since twenty twenty one when you made that trade.
I mean, what do you reflect on?
And I just remember the talk then was you guys are pushing all your you know, tips to the center and if Trey Lance doesn't work out, you know, you're going to be looking for a new job.
Can you kind of reflect on how how that decision.
Was made and you know, a few years removed from it now, how do you view it?
You know, I think first of all, I want to you know, we have an ownership that's very supportive and they support us greatly, uh Jed John, Denise Jennamara.
They believe in in.
Kyle and I and our leadership, and they believe in our our you know, when when we think something's gonna make us better, they say, go for it, and they don't give us a lot of restrictions there. And you know that's comforting to know we can go be bold and do things like that. And yeah, we gave up a lot. We we did it for you know, reasons that that we had and motivations and and you know it didn't work out, but thank God for mister irrelevant.
He helped us.
And uh, you know, and then you know, I always am careful of this because you know, Trey Lance's story hasn't been written yet. You know, he's he's in Dallas right now, and I still think Trey's got good football in them.
You know, we'll see that will play out.
But I think also the freedom that you know when when you've done something and you know, you you feel like maybe it can improve us to move on, you know, we aren't beholden to well we drafted the guy. We just got to stick it out. You know, we can we can do the things we want to do. And I think that served us well as you know, and and people can comment on, you know, the thought process that went into it. We certainly study it say what went right, what went wrong, and we do that with
all our picks. But I think we're in a real good place as a as a football team, as an organization, and we got to find a way to get a little bit better. And that's the focus of this whole offseason, and this draft is an awesome opportunity to do just that. On your defense and de free agency, do you feel your biggest needs hitting into.
The draft on offense or where do you feel your biggest needs are?
You know, well, we've identified where we think, you know, we want to we want to add some people in the draft. But you know, needs is an interesting There's not a lot of needs on this team. There's but but there's things like a couple of years out. There's things a year out, and then there's got there's opportunities where guys can come in.
And so I think and and while the the glaring.
You know, spot that a guy can come in and be the starter right away may not be there, there's a number of spots that we see, probably more than people might think, where there is opportunity and we've you know.
We were very thoughtful of that.
But then you also have to be flexible and nimble to see how the draft breaks and then who's who do you have? Not being beholden like we are drafting this position at thirty one. Now we'll draft Okay, we got three or four needs that we see, you know, which which way are we going to go with it? And that that is when we've done our best work, and I think when most teams do.
Forrester has said that, I think when he brought in Feliciano that with the way they deploy the linemen here that you didn't even wasn't even sure whether John could.
Do it until he got here.
Yeah, And if that's the case with the guy that you scouted this in the league, how hard is it to project an offensive lineman for what you ask.
Them to do?
That's a good question, And you know, John, I think it was just stylistically a little different, and not a lot of people play like we do now. I will say there's more of that throughout the league right now because a lot of people coaches that have left here are offensive systems in a lot of places now. So we basically we get out and run and we ask our guys we don't want any hesitation. We want you going and being the initiators. And that's not a lot
of what you're seeing in college football. So you're absolutely right. There is a lot of projection when it comes to a line play. And so, yeah, identify the traits that we want. You identify the spirit of the players that are the guys that we want. But offensive line, I think, league wide, not just with us, it's becoming tougher. I think the tempo with which teams play, it's not a lot about finishing the.
Play they're on.
It's about let's get back to the line of scrimmage so we can look over and read this card they're holding up to see what play we're running next. It's not a lot of beautiful football being played there. And and so you know that that is tough. And John Feliciano, what we did know is that he every place he went, he seemed to make that organization a little bit better.
Offensive line is a group where it takes a special breed, a human being, and John is is that guy, and he connects people at that spot and he's got a lot of versatility. He's been a real good player for us.
There was kind of a trend in football where the defensive line athleticism. There was outpitcing what was happening on the offensive line. But do you see kind of a reversion now with offensive linemen. You've mentioned you liked a lot of offensive linemen now.
Is there Yeah, I hope so, because it's a real,
you know issue, it did. It did feel for a long time man, the guys on the defensive side of the ball, and I think a lot of it was just the way we train our old lineman now, you know, they because I think developing offensive linement helps with a lot of grassroot fundamentals, you know, physicality in the youth is we're probably getting smarter and taking a lot of contact and a lot of the old school drills that build offensive line play and the running game and playing
not the spread out game that you see so much and everything being about how many plays you can run instead of how well you can run those plays. I think offensive line play did take take its lumps. I do feel like there's a little bit of a comeback happening, and it's probably survival.
We're paying these guys that much. We understand the quarterback. We can't.
This isn't sustainable, and you know, I think you always follow the money to an offensive linemen are getting played paid pretty well, and kids kind of gravitate towards the position where that happens. And maybe we're getting some basketball players starting to do that and a bunch of different vehicles. But I hope that's the case, because it did feel for a while like we're not gonna be to do this.
And us.
Outside of all of us feeling very old with all the legacy guys coming out, what is your thought on guys like Jerry Rice's.
Son, Yeah, and at MacCaffrey son coming out.
Well, I believe in bloodlines, I really do.
I mean, I think there's uh, I think there's evidence that you should now that can't then you've got to step away from that and you gotta, uh, you got to evaluate it.
And that's sometimes difficult to do.
And that's why a lot of different eyes, a lot of different uh perspectives, And that's that's what we try to do when we when we have our R and D look at it, we have our coaches look at it, we have our scouting look at it.
You know, we try to hit it from a variety.
Of of 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 that wouldn't be smart. But you know, these guys, you know that, Yeah, there's some inherent pressure on who their dad is, but there's also some good genes and and uh, you know, and
I think that matters. And so, uh, it's exciting that you have all these great I mean, we're talking Hall of Fame players and great players and you know, brothers of players, and it's it's really fun.
Uh.
T O was out here at the local pro day and his son Tarika, you know, performed really well and that was that was pretty cool. And you could I saw him running at me and I played against t O a lot, and there was some in that stride.
That was very familiar, you know.
It was it was something about the gate and it's crazy how those things translate.
You know. It's is that just gene pool?
Is that modeling that they watched their dad? You know, it's just it's interesting to me and uh, but it's a fun element to this year's draft that I that I think is it's going to be interesting to watch to see how it unfolds.
Yeah, what's up?
Okay, Well, contract questions, I was going to ask wrong.
Any chance he is not on this roster of.
Friday, I wouldn't anticipate that. You know, Yeah, Larry.
You were a big hitter as a player, and I'm just kind of wonder safeties evolved. When you're watching film, are you looking for a guy that detonates and blows people up like you were? Or's the game now changed where you're looking for coverage guys?
Yeah, I might be in jail if you know if with today's rules, so like you have to change. But I always believe, you know, people say oftentimes like you couldn't play in today's Well that goes for a lot of players, and I think players that are good players, they adjust to the rules. That's how we played then, so is phyl Physicality is still part of that absolutely, and you know kind of an are who we are
as a team. We're a physical team, and so you stay out like a sore thumb when you're not physical and you don't play physical, And so I think there has to be now there's a proper way and a proper technique that guys have gotten a lot better.
Now you're seeing this hip drop.
I don't know if that's physical, I think it's actually because they've taken so many different elements. If you can't hit them from the front, people are going to come up with different ways. They started selling and teaching rugby style technique. Well a lot of that rugby style technique that the league was trumpeting has led to this technique called the hip drop. That is it's a real thing. It's happening, and so you know the you know the
I understand it. There are some players that play extremely physical physically and are big players, and it's been a challenge for him in today's football, so you have to factor that in. But I think the best players find ways to play within the rules and still make their presence known on that field. And that's part of being a good player.
Yeah, so thank you, Alfred.
Yeah,