SANTA CLARA -- Chip Kelly met with only two quarterbacks before the draft, he said on Thursday.
Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the draft, were the only quarterbacks with whom Kelly had face-to-face meetings, he said. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys will come face-to-face with Kelly's 49ers on Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
Kelly said he did not meet with Prescott because he had gathered enough information from Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Kelly and Mullen are from Manchester, New Hampshire.
“I’ve known Danny for 25 years, so sometimes when you’re meeting with someone it’s because you don’t have enough information on them,” Kelly said.
Ryan Day, the 49ers’ quarterbacks coach, met with most of the quarterbacks on the team’s draft board, including Prescott, Kelly said.
“A lot of times when you’re dealing with a prospect in the draft, it’s 'Do you have enough information on him,'” Kelly said. “I’ve never, we never interviewed a kid in any of the draft meetings from Oregon because I already knew them. So, that’s a waste of time to bring in.”
Kelly referenced the Seattle Seahawks’ guarded approach to Russell Wilson.
“(General manager) John Schneider said he fell in love with him and then told everybody, ‘We’re never going to talk to the guy again,’ and then drafted him on draft day,” Kelly said. “Who people speak to before the draft, that whole deal, I think that’s a little bit ... I think people kind of look at that a little bit too much.”
The 49ers selected cornerback Rashard Robinson in the fourth round at No. 133 overall. The Cowboys selected Prescott at No. 135. The 49ers also had a pick available at No. 142, which was used on defensive lineman Ronald Blair.
The 49ers selected quarterback Jeff Driskel in the sixth round. The first time Kelly spoke with Driskel was approximately 30 minutes before the team drafted him. Driskel was among the 49ers’ final roster cuts. The Cincinnati Bengals claimed Driskel off waivers.
