I hate the term unicorn player. There has never been anyone who was truly one of a kind. I also hate it when commentators say a player has a “unique skill set”—for the same reason.
My term is “a handfuller.” What that means is that, historically, there have been only a handful who play that way and that well. The term does not mean you cannot rank the players, but that they are close enough to do the same things at roughly the same level. And it does not mean that someone who is not in that category would not be better at that position in some areas, but he would not have some of the skills a handfuller does.
An example would be Lawrence Taylor—a handfuller if ever there was. However, so you don’t think he is a unicorn, I would put Deacon Jones in that class. Jones invented the term “sack,” and the league started counting them largely because of him. He would probably have the career record if they had recorded them while he was playing. And I would include Derrick Thomas, he of 20 sacks in a season, he of six and seven sacks in a game. Like Taylor, he could take over.
Of the quarterbacks, Johnny Unitas was one of the best, but he was not a handfuller. That is because there have been many great pocket passers. Another Colt, Peyton Manning, was one. Dan Marino was one. And there have been numerous others.
However, John Elway was a handfuller. He had the arm talent to throw inside out to the opposite side of the field. He could run. There are numerous great runners—Randall Cunningham, for instance, and Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson today—but they didn’t have as much creativity. Matthew Stafford has the arm talent but not the athleticism. Patrick Mahomes is one of the handfullers I would put here.
I bring this up because of draft strategy. No matter the case, if a handfuller is available, you take him. The only reason you would not is if you already have a handfuller on the team at that position and he is young. A handfuller will make the team better no matter what—both in the present and in the future.
An example is Randy Moss. Minnesota had Cris Carter, who was a future Hall of Famer, and Jake Reed. Reed had come off four straight seasons of 1,000 receiving yards. But Minnesota drafted Moss anyway. And no one can say they regretted it.
For the San Francisco 49ers, who would be available? The tough part of getting one is, if a team is not drafting early, the chance at a handfuller is rarely there.
But there have been a few. The first was Christian McCaffrey, who was in general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s first draft. There have been almost no running backs who have CMC’s rushing and receiving ability. The only players I would put on this list are Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Roger Craig. It is no surprise that all three are in the Hall of Fame, and only Faulk, Craig, and CMC have seasons with both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards. LT didn’t quite make it, but had 100 receptions one year.
When McCaffrey came out of college, how many running backs in history had had all of the skills he had? Three. In history.
Lynch eventually did get McCaffrey, the perfect fit for Shanahan’s offense, and Christian changed the team.
Another handfuller that Lynch had a shot at was Micah Parsons. It would have meant waiting a year for a quarterback, but after Trevor Lawrence, there was no obvious franchise-changing quarterback available. Parsons, however, was considered a generational talent and has lived up to that, with 65 sacks over his five seasons, averaging over 14 per year.
Put him with Nick Bosa, and the 49ers would have probably led the league in sacks. Even in the years when Bosa unfortunately went down with a knee injury, Parsons would still have brought a lot of pressure.
But it is possible to get a handfuller outside the draft, in free agency, or via trade. Lynch did that with McCaffrey, and he also did it with Trent Williams. He replaced—and upgraded—a star retiree, Joe Staley. The current offensive line is riddled with problems, but quarterback Brock Purdy does not have to worry much about his blind side.
So who is available this year? Picking 27th in the 1st round, there won’t be anyone there unless safety Caleb Downs inexplicably were to fall far enough for Lynch to trade up, and that might cost too much. (ESPN’s Matt Miller gives only 11 true first-round grades.)
Unfortunately, there don’t appear to be any in free agency, either.
However, this article is about philosophy, not necessarily possibility.
And the approach should be the same for players at a lower level. Get a difference maker. That means potentially ignoring need. Is there someone the GM or coach believes is likely a future Pro Bowler? Unless there are already Pro Bowlers at that position on the team, take him.
And even so, are those on the team older and/or soon headed for free agency? It’s worth a long discussion.
Numerous pundits have written about how important this coming April’s draft and free agency are for the 49ers.
While I agree, Lynch should try to ignore them. The fans might not like it immediately, but if the player ends up a star in a year and becomes that difference-maker, the team is more likely to achieve its goal than it would by plugging a competent player into a position of need.
That’s where free agency can come in handy, too. And the two together are how teams build toward championships.