SAN FRANCISCO – The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft came and went without the San Francisco 49ers making a single selection. Instead, general manager John Lynch worked the phones, executing a pair of trades that moved the team out of the opening night entirely, stockpiling valuable middle-round capital.
But that didn’t mean Lynch had nothing to celebrate.
When asked about the Los Angeles Rams’ stunning decision to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick, Lynch’s reaction spoke volumes. He could not contain his smile.
“First of all, I think another team in our division did get a player who is going to impact, and I’m talking about Jeremiyah Love – fantastic player,” Lynch told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, referring to the Rams’ other notable addition. “Ty Simpson’s a good football player. There was a lot made as to where he would go and what teams would do. It probably surprised everybody. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is that with the quarterbacks, people will do those types of things. They certainly did, so we’ll see.”
By the end of his answer, Lynch was smiling again – a knowing grin that, this time, may have been a subtle nod to his own aggressive past. After all, it was Lynch who famously traded up to select Trey Lance third overall in the 2021 draft, a move that remains one of the most debated gambles of his tenure.
But Sunday night’s amusement was rooted in the present. The Rams, fresh off a 2025 season in which Matthew Stafford played at an MVP level, used a premium pick not on an immediate-impact defender or offensive weapon, but on a quarterback who may not see meaningful snaps for years.
From a roster-building standpoint, it is a sound long-term investment. From a divisional rivalry perspective, it is a sigh of relief.
The 49ers understandably would have preferred to see Los Angeles address a glaring need with a player who could hurt them in 2026. Instead, the Rams rolled the dice on a developmental passer, leaving Lynch – and likely San Francisco’s coaching staff – grinning at a first round that broke entirely in their favor.
The message from Santa Clara was clear without being explicit: the 49ers avoided a dangerous NFC West rival adding an instant-impact player, and for one night, that was better than making a pick of their own.