John Lynch liberated at 2018 NFL Combine with Jimmy Garoppolo locked in

INDIANAPOLIS — For John Lynch, this year’s NFL Combine brings a different kind of liberation.

In 2017, his first combine as 49ers general manager, he called not having a quarterback “liberating.”

“I’m always an optimist and I was trying to be one there,” Lynch said Thursday. “The idea was we could shape it the way we wanted to.”

The 49ers have certainly shaped the quarterback position to their desire, delivering Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan a new sense of liberation with Jimmy Garoppolo locked in long term. A handful of teams in Indianapolis this week don’t know who their quarterback will be in 2018, hoping to find the one in a quarterback-heavy draft class, free agency or via trade. In San Francisco’s camp, now it’s about building around that centerpiece instead of hoping to find it.

“It didn’t happen in the draft process last year, but some fortuitous things kind of broke our way during the season and I really commend Kyle for his patience once we got Jimmy and allowing him to take time and learn the system as best he could,” Lynch said. “Everybody was saying, ‘Play him. You traded for him. Let’s play him.’ He made sure that he was at a spot where we were setting him up for success and then he went in and, as we like to say, he balled out.

“He played really well and he made our team better. Then it became our focus to get him locked up. It was a deal that worked out for everyone. We’re very appreciative to Jimmy, (agent) Don Yee and his team that we were able to do it so swiftly. That’s a huge bonus for us, that we have him locked in going into free agency. It makes it a place where a lot of people want to be and we’re excited about that.”

When asked whether he’ll use Garoppolo to attract free agents to San Francisco, Lynch smiled and asked, “Would you?”

From his 5-0 record as a starter to his new contract press conference to Thursday at the combine, praise for Garoppolo has flowed from everyone and anyone with the 49ers.

Lynch offered his thoughts as to why he thinks Garoppolo can achieve long-term success rather than being a one-hit wonder.

“The physical traits, he can really quickly process and get rid of the football in a fashion that I would say is elite,” Lynch said. “But then you go to study the makeup of the guy and the only way to do that is to see him around his teammates. To me, the best leaders and best quarterbacks make everyone around him better. I will say it coincided we played a bunch of young guys, and we had just gone through a brutal series of injuries.

“There’s no mistaking that when he came in and started playing, it lifted the team and everyone around him. And then just his makeup, his work ethic. He never left the facility. Yes he was trying to learn a new system, but his diligence, and the way his teammates liked being around him. He’s one of the guys, even though he’s not just one of the guys. That whole deal, we watched it and it became clear in our minds this is the guy we want to move forward with.”

As the 49ers move forward, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies with Jimmy G. Reuben Foster’s legal situation is ongoing, Trent Brown’s health is a question and a 6-10 team still needs improving.

Lynch isn’t relishing too much in Garoppolo mania, keeping in mind the main piece of the puzzle is still just one piece.

“We also know there’s a lot that remains. The story’s not yet written, and Jimmy knows that,” Lynch said. “That’s one thing he’s very cognizant of. We have a lot of work to do.”

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