During the pre-draft process, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch reached out to a fellow former NFL safety: Mike Zordich.
Lynch and the 49ers were scouting cornerback Ambry Thomas, who played under Zordich at Michigan between 2017-19.
And when Lynch asked Zordich what he thought of his former pupil, Zordich gave a glowing recommendation.
"We talked to Michael Zordich, who is a contemporary of mine in the league and played safety at a really high level," Lynch said Friday. "I respect his opinion. He thought the world of (Thomas)."
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That conversation with Zordich (who now coaches at Central Michigan), along with San Francisco's own evaluation, laid the groundwork for the selection of Thomas in the third round of the NFL draft, No.