QB Zach Wilson falls to 49ers in PFF’s latest mock draft

Those hoping that the San Francisco 49ers select a quarterback of the future with their first-round pick will enjoy Pro Football Focus' latest mock draft. Analyst Seth Galina has BYU's Zach Wilson falling to San Francisco at No. 12.

The quarterbacks selected ahead of that spot are Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Justin Fields of Oho State, who go one and two respectively to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets, and Trey Lance of North Dakota State, who is selected by the Carolina Panthers.

"Well, well, well … if it isn't the 49ers finding their quarterback of the future after Kyle Shanahan continued to speak in unbelievably vague terms about Jimmy Garoppolo," wrote Galina.

The 49ers have offered votes of confidence in Garoppolo, insisting that the plan is to have him be the starter for Week 1 of the 2021 season. Of course, plans can change, especially if something better is on the table.

Shanahan and company could still keep Garoppolo and draft his successor. Or they could go in another direction altogether, replacing him with a rookie and finding salary-cap savings or not drafting a quarterback and looking elsewhere to upgrade (Deshaun Watson, anyone?).

"The Niners could easily trade up for a quarterback, but they'd be ecstatic if Wilson falls to them," continued Galina. "The BYU product played in the same wide-zone offense that Shanahan runs, so he would fit in. The question is whether his success in that offense in 2020 was due to how that offense operates. It's one thing to become Jared Goff, Jimmy Garropolo, Kirk Cousins, Matt Schaub and the likes when you get to the NFL, but you better not have already been one of those guys in college."

Wilson has already stated that he feels the 49ers would be a good NFL fit for his play. He was recently asked on BYU TV which pro system might be best suited for him.

"Yeah, I haven't watched a ton of specifics with NFL teams as far as what offenses they're running," Wilson responded. "One, just off the top of my head, is the 49ers, just because I'm very familiar with what coach Kyle Shanahan does and the system they have in place, and I think I'd fit in well there."

Through three seasons with the Cougars, Wilson has thrown for 7,652 yards with 56 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. That includes completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards with 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions this past season while guiding BYU to an 11-1 record.