San Francisco 49ers

Baalke: Justin Smith possible retirement did not impact pick

Published May. 1, 2015 12:39 p.m. ET

foxsports

When the San Francisco 49ers selected Oregon defensive end Arik Armstead with the 17th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft after moving down two spots, many assumed defense end Justin Smith must be retiring

After all Smith has been contemplating retirement since the end of last season and Armstead could fill Smith's position on the defensive line.

GM Trent Baalke assured everyone though that this pick had nothing to do with Smith's potential retirement.

“We gave Justin liberty and I said this to many of you the last time we met,” Baalke said. “We gave Justin liberty to make his own decision on his time frame. So we went into the draft not thinking about what decision Justin’s going to make or not going to make. We just went in to find the best football player, the best system fit we could at pick 15. It just so happened we traded back and its pick 17.”

(h/t Pro Football Talk)