He won’t be on the field in the Sundays to come, be quoted after games or get much recognition if the 49ers have a turnaround season in 2018, but Martin Mayhew is a big part of the team’s master revival plan.
Mayhew, former general manager of the Detroit Lions, was hired by 49ers general manager John Lynch last February as a senior personnel executive. Mayhew was one of Lynch’s first hires. Lynch, a teammate of Mayhew’s when both played for the Tampa Bay Bucs, brought in Mayhew to help him in his new role, since Lynch never had held a front-office position before coming to the Niners.
Recently, at the annual NFL meetings in Florida, Lynch said Mayhew’s experience as a GM – and his scouting acumen and talent-evaluating ability – have been crucial to the acquisitions San Francisco has made in the draft and free agency the past two years.
“He’s been of tremendous value to me,” Lynch told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Elephant in the room, I hadn’t done this before. And I know what I know and I felt like I had some strengths and my experiences would come in handy – both as a player and as a broadcaster you get exposed to a lot. But there were some things that I just didn’t know, hadn’t been exposed to, so I knew I had to surround myself with good people.
“And one of the things we first talked about with (CEO Jed York) was finding a guy who’s been a general manager who’s sat in that seat, and it took me about 10 minutes to (say), ‘I’ve got the guy, if I can get him.’ I played with him and so I trust him implicitly.”
Lynch lauded Mayhew for his knowledge and intelligence, and pointed to Mayhew as the reason the 49ers acquired guard Laken Tomlinson – a former first-round pick – during last season. Lynch said Tomlinson played “exceptionally well” in 2017 with the 49ers and could be a starter in 2018. Mayhew, as Lions GM, drafted quarterback Matthew Stafford and several other Lions front-line players during his tenure.
Mayhew again will play a large role in talent evaluation this offseason as the NFL draft approaches on April 27.
