The trade for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo opened up a lot of options for the San Francisco 49ers and hit fast forward on the team's rebuild. The quarterback's presence in the offense has already started to elevate the play of those around him. Garoppolo has won both of his starts with San Francisco and is a perfect 4-0 as a starter throughout his NFL career.
Before Garoppolo's arrival in San Francisco, the assumption was that the team would select a quarterback with its top pick in next year's draft. The quarterback class was once considered to be among the strongest in years, but erratic play this season by some of the top prospects has diluted that view.
The acquisition of Garoppolo means that quarterback will not be the highest priority during the upcoming offseason. With their franchise quarterback in place, the 49ers can now focus on protecting their valuable asset and installing more weapons around him.
Former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci, who is now an analyst with NFL Network, joined "The 49ers Insider Podcast" this week and discussed why Garoppolo was a better choice than any rookie who San Francisco might have selected.
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"The reason it was a smart move is because the Niners are going to draft very early," Mariucci told podcast host Matt Maiocco. "Let's face it. They're going to have a chance to get most any quarterback coming out in the draft. Is it Sam Darnold from SC? Is it Josh Rosen from UCLA? Is it Josh Allen from Wyoming? Is it Baker Mayfield from Oklahoma? Who is it?
"Any one of those guys are going to have a super-long learning curve. They just are, especially on a team that has a lot of needs, ok? They're not all going to go to a team like Carson Wentz did where it was a very good football team and you can win a lot of games early. They're going to have to go through some growing pains along with their team.
"And so, with Jimmy Garoppolo, he's so much further ahead than all those young kids. Having sat behind Tom Brady over there in New England and having thrown the ball so much at Eastern Illinois, he comes further along than any rookie ever will and so that's why it was such a good solid move."
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Mariucci is a fan of what Garoppolo brings to head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense and sees him as a good fit for the 49ers.
"You can move him around with some play-action keeps and movements," Mariucci said. "He can extend plays with his legs. He's not quite the same athlete as Russell Wilson, but he's still very mobile. He's not (in) a category at the drop-back quarterback. He's a guy who can do most everything.
"I like his maturity, good-looking Italian guy. I just like the whole thing. It makes a lot of sense. Now they can build a team around him."
You can listen to the entire interview with Mariucci, who also discusses his time with the 49ers, his battle to keep Bryant Young on the team, Terrell Owens' Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy, and more below.
