Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, June 17th, 2025
John Lynch: Brock Purdy is an inspiring blueprint for young 49ers players
“Brock’s done so much for us from the day he entered, from the day he was the number four guy [in the QB room],” Lynch explained. “And I remember being at practice—it’s a great illustration. A lot of old-school NFL guys will say to guys coming into training camp, ‘Don’t count your reps. Make your reps count.’
“Well, nobody ever painted that picture better than Brock Purdy, because early on in the days of camp, as the last player taken [in the draft], you’re getting three, four reps. And it’s hard to really shine and turn people’s heads when you’re only getting that many reps. And it’s really easy just to play it safe.”
But Purdy didn’t play it safe at all, and that got the attention of the 49ers coaches and staff.
“He’d get three reps in a practice, and three of them, he’d get the ball into these small windows,” Lynch continued, “and you’re like, ‘Man, this dude, is it reckless or is it confidence?’ And what we found, it was confidence. Everyone starts looking at each other. When you start getting that look, you’re like, ‘Man, we may have something now.’”
Lynch explains 49ers contract extensions got done quicker than usual
“All three of them were willing to work with us on certain things that were important to us. And I think we worked with things that were important to them.”
John Lynch reveals why 49ers coveted Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins
“Mykel was that guy for us,” Lynch said. “What do we like? I think we love the fact he’s played in the best conference, in Georgia, a program that really develops tough, really skilled football players. If you’ve been to one of their practices, it’s extremely physical, and so he’s been through that. He’s battle-tested in that way.
“We’ve seen the versatility. It’s not just projected versatility. We’ve seen him play all over their defensive line. He was 20 years old when we drafted him, so the best is yet to come. Despite his youth, when you’re around Mykel, there’s a maturity, there’s a wisdom, there’s a comfort in his own skin that just made it feel like he’s one of us.
“We were thrilled to have him, and I think it’s only going to get better with Mykel, and it’s already pretty darn good.”
Lynch then turned his attention to Collins, the second-round pick out of Texas. The 49ers believe Collins possesses the ideal size and playmaking ability to become a key contributor on their defensive front. However, in college, the defensive tackle had to wait for his chance to shine.
“It was came later for Alfred,” Lynch explained. “He had really good players in front of him, so it wasn’t until that senior year he made a really, really nice push, and played some huge big-time football for Texas. They obviously had a tremendous year.
“A really big man who can move, and gives us some range inside that we feel is going to be a real good fit for our scheme.”
49ers a good landing spot for Justin Simmons, says CBS Sports
“Simmons is coming off a 62-tackle, two-interception season with the Falcons and saw over 1,000 defensive snaps across 16 games. His experience and leadership could provide an immediate boost to a 49ers secondary seeking stability and depth.”
George Kittle talks Robert Saleh’s return to 49ers, Brock Purdy’s value
“He’s really good at his job,” Kittle said, “and I’m really excited that we somehow convinced him to be our defensive coordinator again, because he knows what he’s talking about, he’s inspiring, he gets the boys fired up, and he just happens to also be really, really smart.
“So, I’m pumped to have him back in the building, just hanging out with him a little bit, talking about stuff. You can just tell he’s ready to roll this year, and he’s gonna get the boys fired up.”