Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus took on the task of ranking all 32 NFL quarterbacks heading into the 2020 season.
"These rankings are obviously rooted in the PFF data," wrote Monson, "but the gray area between them is fleshed out by my own take and opinion and is not an indication that PFF hates anybody."
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, of course, comes in at No. 1 within Monson's ranking, with Russell Wilson from the division-rival Seattle Seahawks following up in second place.
The next NFC West quarterback — Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers — comes in at No. 15. That is one spot lower than Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders, two spots higher than Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams, and four spots higher than Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
"Few quarterbacks in the league have a better situation around them than Jimmy Garoppolo working within Kyle Shanahan's offense," wrote Monson. "He has shown stretches of elite play but hasn't become the player many expected him to be when the 49ers traded for him to be the leader of this offense."
San Francisco sent a second-round pick to the New England Patriots at the trade deadline in 2017 in exchange for Garoppolo. Last year was his first full NFL season as a starter, and he produced a 69.1 completion percentage for 3,978 yards with 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The passing-yards total ranks fourth all-time in franchise history.
"Garoppolo isn't just a product of the offense, however, and some of his best PFF game grades have come in games where he was expected to do more than just manage the offense," added Monson. "If he could cut down on the inexplicable errors in his game (18 turnover-worthy plays in 2019), he would look more like the player many expected him to be based on the early flashes of potential."
Garoppolo is another year removed from the ACL injury that cut short his 2018 campaign. He and his 49ers look to defy the odds and redeem themselves of February's heartbreaking Super Bowl defeat by returning to and winning the big game this season.
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