Many draft experts presumed Mac Jones was the 49ers' preference going into Thursday night, but the Alabama quarterback ultimately slipped past the third overall pick and to the New England Patriots at No. 15 overall.
Although he fell 12 spots past where most drafts expected he'd land, Jones told reporters he "secretly" wanted to be drafted by New England in the first round.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"At the end of the day you kinda want to just get the right fit, and I feel like secretly I wanted to go to the Patriots all along," Jones said. "So I'm actually really happy that it happened."
Playing for Kyle Shanahan likely excited all three of the quarterbacks available when the 49ers were on the clock with the No. 3 pick, but Shanahan and general manager John Lynch ultimately decided Trey Lance is the best fit for the organization going forward.
RELATED: Lance's emotional reaction to 49ers' draft day call
Jones is joining an organization that won three Super Bowls in the past decade, and still has one of the NFL's all-time head coaches in Bill Belichick.
San Francisco 49ers
All five of the QBs selected in Thursday's first round invariably will be compared and contrasted in television and social-media graphics for the duration of their NFL careers, and no one knows for sure at this point which one will turn out to be the best.
Given the online reaction to rumors connecting Jones and the 49ers, it appeared most of the fan base wanted Jones to be drafted elsewhere as well.
Sometimes, everybody wins in life.