NFL draft: 49ers' rookie GM John Lynch aces his first test

It would have been understandable if San Francisco 49ers rookie general manager John Lynch had done something with the No. 2 overall pick that was aimed at making a big splash – maybe something like drafting Mitchell Trubisky, a possible quarterback of the future, to give some hope to the team’s fans.

But Lynch didn’t do that, and when his first big draft test came on Thursday night, he aced it.

Lynch traded the second overall pick to the Chicago Bears, who moved up one spot to get Trubisky. In exchange, the 49ers got that No. 3, which they used to take Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, plus a third-round pick (67th overall), a fourth (111th) and a third-round pick in 2018.

You can question the Bears’ smarts in giving up so much just to move up one spot, but you certainly can’t fault Lynch for getting as much as he could. San Francisco is clearly in rebuilding mode, and while it remains to be seen whether the new regime picks well, the law of averages says at least some of them will work out.

Niners fans should be feeling good about Lynch so far; in addition to Thursday night’s move, he also wasted no time in cutting cornerback Tramaine Brock earlier this month after Brock was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence.

There was a lot of head-scratching when the Niners hired Lynch out of the broadcast booth, with no personnel experience. It’s early, to be sure, but there’s a lot to like to this point.

More NFL draft coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• Dan Wetzel: How Roger Goodell saved the NFL draft
• Browns take Garrett first overall, and he might be the savior they need
• Bears pull off NFL draft’s first stunner, trade up for Trubisky
• Jaguars put Bortles on watch with their first-round pick