The 2020 NFL season is in the books for the San Francisco 49ers, and members of The Faithful can now turn their attention toward the NFL Draft. One position that will have no shortage of news coverage this offseason is quarterback, as was the case last offseason. Will Jimmy Garoppolo return to the team in 2021, or will Kyle Shanahan and company find a better option?
Two mock drafts from Monday morning have the 49ers adding a rookie quarterback to the roster. The first is from Pro Football Focus, which has San Francisco moving up to the No. 4 overall pick to select Justin Fields of Ohio State.
"There are a few reasons why I strongly believe the 49ers will be the team most likely to sell the farm for one of these quarterbacks," wrote Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus. "The first is that quarterback classes like this don't come around every year. The 49ers are too good to truly bottom-out, and they end up in a position to take one here."
Fields finished his collegiate career with a 69.4 completion percentage for 5,507 yards with 66 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in three seasons between Georgia and Ohio State. In 2020, he completed 73.4 percent of his passes for 1,906 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions through seven games with the Buckeyes. That includes his six-touchdown performance on New Year's Day against Clemson.
"Also, head coach Kyle Shanahan has never had himself a true franchise guy since taking over for the 49ers, and we saw what he did with one in Atlanta," adds Renner. "The final reason is that all of the top guys are mobile — an element we've seen take run games around the league to the next level. Shanahan created magic with RG3 as a rookie, and I believe he could do something similar with Fields."
Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News's latest mock draft has the 49ers staying put at No. 12 overall but still selecting a quarterback — Trey Lance of North Dakota State.
"Lance is slowly climbing back up boards with his massive upside," explains Iyer. "As more teams see tapes of his one statistically brilliant lone season as a starter (2,786 yards passing, 28 TDs, no INTs, 1,100 yards rushing, 14 TDs) it's harder to ignore the impressive physical and athletic skills he displayed in his first full season of action.
"The 49ers can get out of Jimmy Garoppolo's contract and needs to shoot for the QB ceiling to better dominate with their array of offensive skill talent, including George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Lance's running would add a new dangerous element to Kyle Shanahan's scheme and he has the head, quick release and accuracy to handle the passing precision of it all."