ESPN’s Louis Riddick to interview for 49ers GM position

The story was broken by none other than ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

Insider alert: ESPN analyst Louis Riddick will interview next week in NY for 49ers' GM job, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2017

Earlier this week, Riddick mentioned that the San Francisco 49ers head coaching position would be attractive since both Chip Kelly and GM Trent Baalke were let go after the regular season was over.

“They’re really gonna let you build it, and put in the foundation, and then let everything build and rise from there,” Riddick said. “Which to me, even though it’s a daunting task given the fact that personnel-wise this roster has been depleted, I like the situation that is coming to bear in San Francisco.”

Riddick is not the only candidate the 49ers will interview. According to the Sacramento Bee, the team has several candidates in mind including Packers execs Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst.

Riddick joined ESPN in May 2013 and immediately made an impression for his analysis on the NFL Draft first in 2015 during Day One of the event, then again in 2016 when he was for the entire three-day affair.

During his time at ESPN, he’s been seen on NFL Insiders, NFL Live and SportsCenter as well as NFL Insiders: Sunday Edition.

ESPN tapped Riddick to be a front office analyst after spending time with Washington and Philadelphia as a scout and director of pro personnel.  He was drafted by the 49ers in 1991 and played seven seasons at safety for the Niners, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Oakland.

And while being on TV is less stressful than being a general manager, Riddick is an atttractive candidate for teams that would like to fill a front office position. His analysis during the Draft certainly gave him credibility with fans and if he is hired by the 49ers, ESPN would be hard-pressed to find someone to replace Riddick for the 2017 Draft.

[Sacramento Bee]