Why signing undrafted free agents has become more challenging for the 49ers

Late in the draft, the San Francisco 49ers were busy making calls. Not to potential draft picks but to players who looked like they would become undrafted free agents.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch addressed the media after the draft. During the conversation, the two were clearly eager to get back to work, as the rest of the 49ers staff worked tirelessly to fill out the roster with players who did not hear their names called during the draft’s seven rounds.

San Francisco signed 12 undrafted free agents, including fullback Jack Colletto of Oregon State, running back Khalan Laborn of Marshall, and later, wide receiver Isaiah Winstead of East Carolina. More on the latter in a minute.

Lynch commented on the first two players during Thursday’s radio interview on KNBR.

“Colletto is an interesting cat in that he played a little quarterback, a little linebacker, a little fullback, has done a lot of things,” Lynch shared on the Murph & Mac show. “And we grew to really have an appreciation for Colletto [and] Laborn, the running back out of Marshall. He’s a really intriguing prospect.

“Sometimes you have these stories like where you get jilted, and we thought we had another running back. Fortunately, Bobby Turner does [it] old school. He doesn’t like Zoom. He does phone calls, and he does like 800 of them with each potential. And Laborn is a guy who Bobby Turner really developed a great relationship with. And so he hung in there with us and happy to have him a part of us.”

Lynch admits that convincing undrafted free agents to sign with the 49ers has become more challenging over the years. The team has come a long way since the talent-depleted roster that Lynch and Shanahan inherited in 2017. Back then, undrafted free agents might have looked at the 49ers, thinking it might be easier to make that roster than other destinations.

Obviously, that is no longer the case. San Francisco owns one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and has appeared in three of the last four NFC Championship Games.

“Our ownership allows us to be aggressive in terms of going and getting these guys,” Lynch shared. “I will tell you, it’s harder each and every year. It’s kind of like a sliding scale. The fact that we have a really good roster and one that a lot of players think will compete this year for a championship is a good thing in that they all love the Niners, love being a part of it.

“They also know there’s probably not a whole lot of opportunity to go make this roster. And so you do have to sell them on why this is a good opportunity. Here’s what we see. And so that’s the coolest thing to me, to watch these coaches and scouts work together and then put their negotiating skills to work.

“It’s always a wild ride. Kyle and I, in fact, kind of leave and go down to handle the press, and we come back never knowing what we’re going to get. But our guys always do a great job.”

Despite his staff having to do more convincing than in previous years, Lynch is happy with this year’s haul.

“All these guys are really interesting, right down to the last guy, the internet sensation, Winstead, that everyone’s talking about,” Lynch said. “But he’s a guy we just signed. He’s the last guy. So it’s always great to see those guys, to have them come out—we’ll be out there next weekend for our rookie minicamp—and fun to see them be a part of us.”

After going undrafted and receiving no offers for a roster spot, Winstead tweeted out the following practice film, which went viral.