You ever want to know what happens inside the War Room during the NFL draft. Welllll, thanks to the Ladies of the Empire Founder Catherine Tate, Joe Leonor had the opportunity to do just that. Before we go any further it must be said that all those not employed with the San Francisco 49ers organization were required to sign a disclosure and not publicly speak on what happened behind closed doors.
On Thursday we were assigned our own parking space right in front of the 49er headquarters. 49er personnel met us in the lobby and brought us upstairs to where the war room was. As we patiently waited for our opportunity to go inside current and former 49ers were involved in their daily duties. (Joe was like a kid in a candy store..OOHHHH AHHH THATS THATS THATS SO AND SO) As time came around we walked inside the door leading into the room. In the above pictures you see the big monitor behind Joe. There was pictured the official draft board of the 49ers wants and needs. From left to right sat Paarag, Jed York, Trent Baalke, Chip Kelly, Dr. John York. Along the sides of the table were scouts and 49er personnel. Behind the camera man who is taking the picture is 2 huge monitor screens. One with ESPN network and the other with the NFL network.
The day went on as the 49ers drafted their first pick DeForest Buckner at No. 7 and a few handshakes and smiles were definitely seen. As the draft went on 49ers swapped picks in the later round and traded a 4th rounder to move up and attempt to bulk up the Offensive Line.
One of the main questions asked was
Is the war room like the movie Draft Day?
No, its actually the complete opposite. Very calm but as the 49ers traded in later rounds for Joshua Garnett “the Phone’ rang. Now anytime that phone rang folks knew from being in there it meant something. On the main wish list board one can somewhat see that most teams are all thinking the same way as far as talent and who’s going where.
On Friday Joe Leonor was given the huge opportunity to honor Military / Law enforcement Personnel as he was able to raise the Flag over Levi Stadium which will then head back to the individual / family who served our country . Joe Leonor was told he was the only person outside of the 49er organization to do this honor. This is very special because it gives us the opportunity to Salute those who put their life on the line everyday so we are able enjoy 49er football. We were also able to tour different parts of Levi’s stadium that most tours do not allow.
During lunch we were able to dine with former and current players as well as offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins and just talk about life. Coach was an amazing and very down to earth man. By the way the all you can eat food is simply amazing.
We headed back to the draft room and enjoyed the rest of the second round. As the day came to an end the two first rounders walked into the room and shook everybody’s hand. All we had to say is DAMMMMMMN those are some big dudes and hopefully represent our 49ers and get us back into the win column.
This was definitely a huge honor to be where most can only dream about.