The San Francisco 49ers and general manager John Lynch decided to trade out of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
At the beginning of the first round, the 49ers were scheduled to be on the clock at pick No. 27. They chose to trade down with the Miami Dolphins to No. 30. However, Lynch wasn’t done wheeling and dealing there.
Lynch ended up trading down from pick No. 30 as well, this time in a deal with the New York Jets.
Now, San Francisco will be on the clock with the first pick in the second round at No. 33 overall. Finally, the 49ers are expected to pick a player, but Lynch could still continue trading down should he choose to do so.
Despite not making a pick in the first round, Lynch has come under fire ahead of round two. He was asked about the Los Angeles Rams‘ decision to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 and his reaction to the question has caused some backlash.
49ers GM John Lynch Under Fire for Ty Simpson Reaction
When asked about the Rams selecting Simpson, Lynch couldn’t hold back his smile. While he didn’t come out and say that he didn’t like the pick for Los Angeles, his reaction was a clear sign that he found the selection funny.
In the comments section of Matt Lively’s post, fans were quick to jump all over Lynch. His track record of taking Trey Lance was brought up many times.
“Lynch can’t critique or react after the failure of picking QB Trey Lance third overall in the 2021 NFL draft,” one fan wrote.
Another comment read, “Same guy who gave up the farm for Lance he has no room to talk lol.”
“Is it just me or does John seem to not think too highly of Ty Simpson,” a third fan said.
A fourth comment stated, “His initial smile said it all. What he said next was just political correctness.”
“He should be thanking his lucky stars every night that he is still employed,” a fifth fan commented.
Ty Simpson Could Come Back to Haunt the 49ers
No one knew where Simpson would be drafted. Seeing him go at No. 13 was a bit higher than most expected, but there is no denying the talent that the Crimson Tide signal caller possesses.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN Dan Orlovsky went as far as to say that he felt Ty Simpson was the best quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft class. He placed the Alabama quarterback over No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza.
“I’m through eight games now (of Mendoza’s tape), you see good but there is a lot of underwhelming,” Orlovsky said. “I understand his season finishes strong. But there aren’t a lot of big-time throws, a lot of clean pockets, and a ton of RPO’s and back-shoulder fades. You’re looking at a guy and say ‘First pick?’”
“I think through eight games, Ty Simpson’s tape at Alabama is significantly more impressive than Fernando Mendoza’s.”
Only time will tell, but Simpson has now become the long-term heir apparent to Matthew Stafford for the Rams. At some point, he will be given an opportunity to prove to Lynch and the 49ers that Los Angeles made the right choice.
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