Inability to add a free agent QB influenced 49ers’ draft plans, says analyst

The San Francisco 49ers were shopping around for veteran free agents this offseason. It was assumed the team wanted a security blanket behind Jimmy Garoppolo, should he be sidelined again during the upcoming season.

Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network believes the plan was different, though. The analyst feels that San Francisco sought more than a veteran clipboard holder, who could enter a game if needed. He believes the Niners were ready to move Garoppolo if they found the right veteran signal-caller to replace him.

"If the Niners end up taking Mac Jones over Trey Lance, which is the way it looks as of right now, it's because of what they could not accomplish during the offseason," wrote Pauline. "The team really wanted to sign a veteran quarterback and went hard after Andy Dalton as well as Joe Flacco.

"The game plan was then to trade Jimmy Garoppolo, likely to the Patriots, draft Lance, and let him sit for most of the season. The inability to sign Dalton or Flacco put them in a bind and now makes taking a quarterback who's more NFL-ready a priority."

On March 26, the 49ers gave the Miami Dolphins their first-round picks in each of the next three drafts, plus a third-rounder, in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. They are expected to draft a quarterback, and Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday night that the decision has come down to Mac Jones versus Trey Lance.

While the 49ers have stated that Garoppolo remains in their plans for the upcoming season, the quarterback is set to count $26 million against this year's salary cap. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported today that there is a "very strong expectation" among general managers around the NFL that San Francisco will make an effort to trade Garoppolo before or during the draft.

The 2021 NFL Draft kicks off in two days from Cleveland, Ohio.