INDIANAPOLIS – The new leader of the San Francisco 49ers' front office offered up an intriguing piece of information.
With no quarterbacks on the roster, general manager John Lynch indicated that the team has already started scouting and evaluating the draft-eligible passers here at the NFL scouting combine.

And in at least one case, an interview already happened.

“I’m excited about it,” Lynch told reporters Thursday. “I’m sure there will be a lot of different opinions as there always will be. Last night we had an interview with DeShone Kizer. This whole thing is not about an interview, but if we’re grading him on that alone, he blew the doors off of it. He’s an impressive young man. His film is impressive, too.”

Kizer, a former Notre Dame quarterback, is competing with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes to be the first quarterback selected in the NFL draft.

NFL executives are notorious for calculating their statements this time of the year, as franchises begin to craft their draft boards.

This comes one day after new head coach Kyle Shanahan said: “We don’t have anybody on our roster” at the position.

Through his new agents, starter Colin Kaepernick has informed the teams here that he will be opting out of his contract and will become a free agent when the new league year begins March 9. Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder and Thaddeus Lewis all have expiring contracts, so San Francisco will be starting over at quarterback.

For Lynch, Kizer wasn't the only prospect who caught his attention at the position.

“I think the same can be said for Deshaun Watson,” Lynch added. “What he has done, putting the team on his shoulders and taking down a great champion – Trubisky, Mahomes, I think it’s a very talented draft class at that position and we’re very excited about those guys. Look, I don’t think you need to be too transparent to know that it’s a position we’re looking at. We don’t have any. That’s a position that’s a big focal point and this week is a big part of that.”