INDIANAPOLIS – A year ago, the 49ers cashed in when they moved back one spot in a trade with the Chicago Bears and still got the player, Solomon Thomas, they would have taken with the second overall pick.
When general manager John Lynch showed up at the bench press area Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine, he knew the 49ers would have either the No. 9 or No. 10 pick in the first round.
Former 49ers and Raiders defensive back Rod Woodson, a Hall of Fame player, flipped the coin. And the side with the 49ers logo landed facing upward.
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“I wouldn’t have been crushed if it were 10, but I’m happy it was nine,” Lynch said.
Yes, it is possible – but way too early to tell – if the 49ers and Raiders would have targeted the same play with the No. 9 overall pick.
“Everything’s possible,” Lynch said. “I think that’s one thing anybody knows from watching the draft. So any spot you can get is valuable. It really is. That’s reflected in everything we do in our league.
“Last year you see a team move up one spot, right? And it’s a big deal. One spot is a big deal.”
San Francisco 49ers
Lynch said he spent time on his flight to Indianapolis looking at the Raiders’ needs. The 49ers and Raiders could potentially look to select linebackers or cornerbacks with their top selections.
So, assuming both teams remain in their current draft slots, the 49ers would get the choice, potentially, to have first dibs on linebackers Tremaine Edmunds (Virginia Tech) and Roquan Smith (Georgia) or cornerbacks Denzel Ward (Ohio State) or Josh Jackson (Iowa).
In 2006, the 49ers and Raiders also tied with the same record and the same strength of schedule. The 49ers won the coin toss that time, too. The 49ers selected tight end Vernon Davis with the No. 6 overall pick, and the Raiders chose safety Michael Huff.
Lynch is a Hall of Fame finalist who played two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for coach Jon Gruden, who represented the Raiders, along with general manager Reggie McKenzie.
“It felt a lot like the 16 games we played this year,” Lynch said. “I can’t do a darn thing about them once they start. I wasn’t too stressed about it. I think the worst part about it was I got that glare that I used to get when I screwed up on the field from Chucky.”
49ERS 2018 DRAFT PICKS
1. First round: No. 9 overall (own pick)
2. Second round: No. 59 overall (New Orleans pick acquired in 2017 draft-day trade)
3. Third round: No. 70 (own pick)
4. Third round: No. 74 overall (Chicago pick acquired in 2017 draft-day trade)
5. Fourth round: No. 128 overall (Pittsburgh pick acquired in 2017 trade of Vance McDonald)
6. Fifth round: No. 143 overall (N.Y. Jets pick acquired in 2017 trade of Rashard Robinson)
7. Sixth round: No. 184 (own pick)
8. Seventh round: No. 227 overall (own pick)
9. Seventh round: No. 240 overall (Kansas City pick acquired in 2016 trade of Kenneth Acker)
*-Second round, own pick, traded to New England for Jimmy Garoppolo *-Fourth round, own pick, traded to Denver for Kapri Bibbs and a 2017 fifth-round pick *-Fifth round, own pick, traded along with Vance McDonald to Pittsburgh for 2018 fourth-round pick