Of the 49ers’ seven selections Saturday, the fifth-round pick of South Florida outside linebacker Aaron Lynch counts as the most intriguing. Lynch, 6-foot-6 and 244 pounds, possesses early round ability, but questions about his maturity, character and commitment sent his draft stock spiraling. Lynch, a first-team Freshman All-American at Notre Dame in 2011, transferred to USF, sat out a year and only played two college seasons. He was reportedly kicked out of an interview with one team at the combine for lying. An NFL.com scouting report termed him a “classic underachiever … who does not play with passion and lacks urgency. Goes through the motions.” “I am a first-round talent,” Lynch said. “(But) I’ve made some mistakes in my past and I figured that’s what hurt me a little bit.” Lynch, who turned 21 in March, met with the 49ers in Santa Clara before the draft and had several meetings with general manager Trent Baalke during his visit. At USF, Lynch played for head coach Willie Taggart, one of Jim Harbaugh’s closest friends. Harbaugh spoke with Taggart at length before the 49ers made the pick. “He believes that this is a good young man,” Harbaugh said. “He needs direction. He needs good structure around him where he’s got guys, men that he would look up to. That he would have a chance to emulate. Feels that he’ll thrive in that kind of environment.” The 49ers have had nine players arrested or involved in a police investigation since January 2012, which will cause some to wonder if they’re tempting fate with Lynch. However, Baalke said Lynch didn’t have a “rap sheet” and suggested his “mistakes” largely stemmed from immaturity. - See more at: http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2014/05/10/harbaugh-on-fifth-round-pick-lynch-he-needs-direction/
