The 49ers have the No. 2 overall selection in the draft and are preparing to take their pick of any player available after Myles Garrett, the Texas A&M defensive end who is considered the best player available.
Then again, 49ers general manager John Lynch says the Niners are open to all options and strategies to make the team better.
When Lynch was asked at the annual NFL Combine this past weekend if the 49ers might deal away the No. 2 pick, Lynch didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, from Day 1, why wouldn’t you be?” he said in an interview with the team’s website. “A lot of people keep talking about (the No. 2 pick) like it’s a burden. It’s not a burden. It’s a tremendous asset and it gives us a ton of options. We can sit pat and find a game-changing player who’s going to help us win championships in San Francisco."
“It’s a coveted pick, and so a lot of people want that," Lynch continued. "I think we’re in a great place with that. We’re being aggressive in exploring every option and we’ll continue to do that right down to draft day.”
A No. 2 pick can be worth plenty, and the 49ers have numerous holes to fill on a roster thin of impact players. Last year, the Cleveland Browns dealt their No. 2 overall selection and received the No. 8 pick in the first round and a third- and fourth-rounder in the 2016 draft, along with a first-rounder in 2017 and a second-rounder in 2018. The Browns also gave up a fourth-round pick in 2017 in the deal with the Eagles, who used the No. 2 overall choice to get quarterback Carson Wentz.
Added Lynch: “(Taking the best player available) is a great mindset to have, but it’s not always a reality when you have needs. We are targeting some priorities in free agency, such that we can get to the draft and truly take the guys that we’ve just fallen in love with through the process.”
