John Lynch ranked as a top-five GM in the latest ranking
NFL Media member Gregg Rosenthal ranked NFL general managers, and San Francisco 49ers’ John Lynch snuck into the top five.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch took over the team when it was on the decline prior to 2017.
Since then, Lynch has laid the foundations with draft picks like George Kittle and Fred Warner, and the trade to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo.
Still, the 49ers don't have a Super Bowl to show for Lynch's team-building success, but the organization is entering the 2023 season ready to take another shot at winning the big game. For all the groundwork Lynch has laid and the team he has constructed, he landed in the top five in Gregg Rosenthal's NFL GM rankings.
Rosenthal specifically points out that the 49ers possess a keen ability to keep winning despite getting nothing Trey Lance and numerous injuries at key positions.
Take a look at what he said:
"The 49ers deserve more credit for finding and maintaining so much talent everywhere else that they’ve thrived despite all the resources used (including first-round picks in 2022 and ’23) in the 2021 trade up to draft Trey Lance, who has attempted 102 passes since. Lynch has helped find core pieces through the draft (receiver Brandon Aiyuk, safety Talanoa Hufanga), free agency (corner Charvarius Ward, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave) and trades (running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Trent Williams). The Niners build strength on strength and stay focused on line play, like the Eagles. That said, the offensive line could use some work in the draft."
Ultimately for Lynch to climb further up the list, the 49ers will need to hit on some draft picks and hoist another Super Bowl trophy. Now, whether the 49ers can get there is to be decided.
