Can the NFL Draft Get Here Already?
Apr 28, 2021, 2:56 PM | Updated: 2:56 pm
(Credit: NFL.com)
(Credit: NFL.com)
Anticipation can be exciting but also nerve racking.
We are so close to the 2021 NFL draft and it sure feels like it starts when we all see that the San Francisco 49ers are on the clock.
Earlier in the week GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan made it very clear that San Francisco was going to take a quarterback and that they liked 5 guys at that position.
Hmmm? What does that really mean?
When the 49ers moved up in the to get the 3rd pick in the NFL draft they made it abundantly clear that they wanted to control their destiny instead of waiting and hoping that someone they liked would fall to 12. They also said that they are looking for a “starting quarterback” in this draft.
Odd phrasing based on the fact that they already have Jimmy Garoppolo on their roster. Speculation has followed with the thought that San Francisco will be looking to move Jimmy G possibly on draft night.
Let’s take a look at the “5 guys” that they like.
Trevor Lawrence: I am sure that they like him and probably have done their due diligence on him but it seems highly unlikely that he will be there at 3. It would be SHOCKING if he was not the first pick in the draft.
Zach Wilson: Almost everyone believes he is going second to the Jets. What if he doesn’t? This would be a bombshell for the draft, but I would love to know the answer to this question. Would the 49ers take him with certainty if he was available to them at 3? This name hasn’t been talked about a lot by the media but the 49ers should be prepared to answer this if the Jets surprise most experts and take someone other than Wilson.
Mac Jones: The 6’3 214 Junior out of Alabama isn’t the universal choice by scouts, mock draft writers, and nfl experts. This is the name that gets the most attention for the 49ers and probably is the one that is the most criticized by fans. To me this feels like a repeat of Jimmy G but would be younger and cheaper on the salary cap. His accuracy and ability to play at a high level at Alabama are his strengths, but can he lead this team that has Super Bowl aspirations back to finish off what they couldn’t do two seasons ago?
Trey Lance: Lance is a little bit of a mystery man based on playing at North Dakota State and the limited number of games he actually played in. He is big, he is mobile and by all accounts a top notch young man. When experts talk about Lance the word that always seems to come up is “upside”. If you kept Jimmy G and let him go to work for one more season and then unleashed the team on Lance this could be a sensible plan.
Justin Fields: The 49ers were the team that said they liked “5 guys”, reports earlier in the week said that the Niners were between Jones and Lance. I would never eliminate Fields from this conversation. Fields checks all the boxes and would give Shanahan an element to even broaden his amazing offensive play book. Field is big, mobile, durable and the connection with the Shanahan’s goes back to high school for Fields.
In the final analysis of this, it is anyone’s guess.
If we take Lawrence and Wilson out then it is down to Jones, Fields and Lance. The fan base would be most upset with Jones, but you can’t make these decisions based on that.
Jones plus side is he does great work from the pocket and traditionally that is what Kyle Shanahan has put a premium on. It sure appears that Lance and Fields have more upside but I have always believed that Shanahan would get the most out of any quarterback he has.
Put it this way, if I were one of the “five guys” I would take it as a badge of honor if Shanahan selected me. I have changed my mind on what they will do with this pick about 10 times, that is why the waiting game is driving me crazy.
Is it draft time yet?
Let’s go, let’s see what the future of the San Francisco 49ers will look like.
