© Rick Bowmer | 2020 Oct 24
It’s unlikely the 49ers are close to making a decision on what to do with Jimmy Garoppolo next year, but it sounds like they’ve begun to explore what the other options look like.
Unless San Francisco is able to improbably stack a handful of wins together during the second half of the season without Garoppolo, it stands to reason they’ll select somewhere around 15th or better in the 2021 Draft. That should put them in line for one of the top five quarterbacks coming out of college, two of which the team is already kicking the tires on according to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.
“Rumors around the scouting community indicate the San Francisco 49ers are investing serious time and resources into scouting signal-callers, Miller wrote. “One area scout told me the team has sent top evaluator Adam Peters to see BYU’s Zach Wilson and Alabama’s Mac Jones this season.”
Wilson and Jones are considered the fourth and fifth ranked quarterbacks in this draft by most analysts, respectively. It’s unlikely that the 49ers will be in a position to select one of the top three — Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Trey Lance — although Wilson’s stock continues to climb.
At 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, Wilson is both big and mobile, fitting the profile of what is becoming the modern QB prototype. Through eight games, Wilson has completed 75 percent of his passes for 2,511 yards, 21 passing touchdowns, eight rushing TDs and just two picks.
Jones, meanwhile, is a more prototypical quarterback, the type Kyle Shanahan has the most experience coaching. Tua Tagovailoa’s former replacement, Jones has completed 78.5 percent of his passes for 2,196 yards, 16 TDs and two picks.