On Thursday, training camp kicks off for the San Francisco 49ers. While head coach Kyle Shanahan works diligently to prepare his players for the 2017 season, it is easy for the media to look beyond the upcoming season. Much of that has to do with the fact that the media, to some degree, may be underestimating the 49ers and their chances to win more than a few games this season.
The 49ers will likely enter the 2017 season with Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback. However, many believe that the quarterback position could, for the second year in a row, look drastically different in 2018. To many, Hoyer is simply seen as a bridge quarterback until a franchise player can be locked down. There is a certain quarterback in Washington, D.C. who has garnered a lot of attention and has been, perhaps prematurely, linked to the 49ers for the 2018 season. A lot can happen between now and the next free agency period.
Another possibility is the 2018 NFL Draft. That was the topic of discussion in a conversation between Steve Wyche and NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah on the set of "NFL Total Access." Jeremiah is a fan of UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and sees him as a good fit for Shanahan's offense in San Francisco.
First Look: UCLA QB Josh Rosen
"Selfishly, I'd just like to see him with Kyle Shanahan with what [Rosen] can do," Jeremiah said. "And I think when you talk to folks that have been around Josh Rosen, they go on and on about how smart this kid is, how much offense you can put on him. And I think, from a skillset standpoint, he would fit beautifully in that system."
What does Jeremiah think of Rosen as a player? He also gave his early evaluation of the quarterback, whom he compared to Eli Manning of the New York Giants, noting that we did not get to see a full season of Rosen in 2016 due to an injury.
"I went back and studied him from his freshman season when he had a little more around him in terms of the offensive line, run game, and some surrounding talent on the outside," Jeremiah said. "Steve, I've got to tell you, this guy is pure. You want to talk about a pure throwing motion? He is crisp with his footwork. He looks like he was kind of just born to play quarterback and that's something that has been talked about him for quite some time.
"All the hype coming into UCLA. I thought he lived up to it his freshman year. Last year, (he) fell off a little bit. (He) got hit a bunch. (There was) a lot of pressure on him. (He) tried to do too much and then, physically, just broke down."
In November, Rosen had surgery on his throwing shoulder to repair the soft tissue injury that ended his season. Jeremiah discussed the possibility of the injury being a concern for Rosen in 2017 and heading into next year's draft.
"I talked to Bucky Brooks and he just had a chance to watch him throw not too long ago and he said he put on a show," Jeremiah said. "So, it looks like he's fully healthy, going to enter this season – his third year at UCLA – ready to go. And if he does, he's going to light things up."
Rosen is projected to be among the top quarterbacks selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Early mock drafts have had Rosen going as early as within the top three selections and as late as a selection in the lower half of round one.
In his six games in 2016, Rosen completed 59.3-percent of his passes for 1,915 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
