Details of the 49ers’ process in their trade up to draft North Dakota State QB Trey Lance are starting to emerge, and there’s no more fascinating wrinkle than Frank Gore’s involvement.
Jim Trotter at NFL.com wrote a piece describing how Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch arrived at the conclusion to select Lance third overall above Mac Jones and Justin Fields. While team CEO Jed York isn’t involved in football operation, he took liberties to get Gore on the phone to get his thoughts on who San Francisco should select.
Per Trotter:
Interestingly, shortly after the trade was made, York phoned former 49ers running back Frank Gore and asked if he knew any of the top quarterback prospects. York and Gore have remained close since the running back left the franchise in 2015, after 10 seasons. York values his evaluation of players and wanted to know what Gore thought.
Gore arrived at the same conclusion Lynch and Shanahan did. He also echoed the same sentiments of those who couldn’t believe San Francisco had really traded up for Mac Jones when reports that he’d be the pick dominated headlines and mock drafts.
“You don’t give up all that for a pocket passer,” Gore said to Trotter. “You don’t give up all that and still need to call a perfect play for a guy. This guy can make plays even when the call ain’t perfect. He has a chance to be special in that offense.”
Whether Gore’s evaluation would’ve carried much weight in the front office is unknown, but it’s fascinating that York would tap a current free agent running back and franchise legend to get his take on such a seismic move.
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see the 49ers try to get Gore in the organization in some way after he retires – which may be never at the rate he’s going. Based on York’s early use of Gore’s vast football knowledge, any role with the team in his post-playing career may come in the front office where the club can continue leaning on him for these types of decisions.