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The San Francisco 49ers have made an important addition to their front office ahead of this week’s NFL Draft: AI.
The Niners have six picks in this draft, including the 27th overall selection, and it sure sounds like artificial intelligence will play a role in who they select.
“If you’re not using it, you’re already behind,” Lynch told reporters Monday.
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Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with John Lynch after defeating the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2024. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Lynch isn’t wrong, but the continuation of that remark may raise some eyebrows.
“And the cool thing is what we found is you don’t have to be an expert,” Lynch said. “Like you at home planning an itinerary, you can just ask the thing and it can spit out good things, some pretty good ideas.”
Analytics has obviously taken over in sports, but it can undoubtedly take things to a whole new level.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers speak during rookie training camp at the SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, Calif., on May 12, 2023. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
FROM Mr. IRRELEVANT TO GENERATION AGE, BROCK PURDY WANTS TO USE HIS LIFESTYLE FOR GOOD
“Some pretty good ideas, our developers, I think we’re lucky to be where we’re down at the epicenter of the innovation there, and we’ve tried to capitalize on that,” Lynch added. “And I think every team probably uses it in some way. And I think that’s only going to increase as we move forward.”
San Fran made a big splash this offseason when they signed wide receiver Mike Evans to a three-year, $42.5 million deal. The Niners have struggled with consistency from their wide receivers, largely due to injuries.
Jauan Jennings led all Niners wide receivers with 90 targets, and Kendrick Bourne and Ricky Pearsall were both tied for second with 53. Brock Purdy relied heavily on Christian McCaffrey (129 targets) and George Kittle (69). However, Kittle’s schedule is uncertain after rupturing his Achilles in the NFL playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk celebrates with general manager John Lynch after the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 17, 2023. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Who knows what AI could have come up with when Brock Purdy was taken with the last pick in 2022.
