Much emphasis is placed on Pro Days in the preliminary preparations for players and teams with the NFL combine that has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the Pro Days the 49ers attended was that of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. While San Francisco could be on the market early in design for a signal caller, there’s no move they can make to pry the # 1 overall pick and Lawrence away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So why did they make the trip to see the star perspective? Adam Peters, vice president of 49ers player staff, explained to Matt Barrows with a fascinating look at the team’s modified preparations for this year’s draft.
“It wasn’t just Trevor Lawrence,” Peters told Barrows in the Athletic. “There were a few (Clemson players) there. And Ethan Waugh, our director of the university, lives in South Carolina. So it’s an easy journey for him. And then Steve Rubio, who is our Southeast scout, there are a few other Clemson players in attendance, along with some pro-free agents. “
Peters also noted that the 49ers had done some final work to finalize a report on Lawrence, who will almost certainly go to the Jaguars with the No. 1 overall pick.
It makes sense that the team didn’t want to reveal exactly who they had on hand to watch, but the Tigers are a loaded club with plenty of pro-caliber talent, including the backsliding Travis Etienne and attacking lineman Jackson Carman. 49ers 2020 undrafted rookie Chris Finke was one of the free agents in attendance who caught Lawrence’s balls.
While the 49ers are still figuring out exactly how they want to navigate all of the Pro Days, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them pop up during the top quarterbacks’ personal workouts. General manager John Lynch has already noted that he attended Patrick Mahomes’ Pro Day as a smokescreen, but the club could also be looking at some of the best signalers or some of the others who were training that day.
Attendance on Pro Day is important, but it may not always be what it seems, as was the case in San Francisco’s presence watching Lawrence.