2016 NFL Draft: 49ers Quarterback Big Board

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Apr 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the stage before the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Setting the Final Board for the 2016 NFL Draft

The 49ers will have a choice at nearly every round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Do they select a quarterback now or wait for another one later? Depending on how the team has set their Big Board, they could find their quarterback of the future at any moment.

While 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and his team set their board, the emphasis should be on meeting the team’s needs at a value that ensures other picks maximize their value as well. To select a quarterback early, despite having other positional players valued higher, isn’t always the best strategy.

Teams often have boards that work across multiple positions to compare the relative value of a player versus when a team can select him. The 49ers will need to be confident that they aren’t pulling the trigger on someone early but that they also don’t wait too long to select a quarterback they are confident in.

With the 2016 NFL Draft around the corner, the 49ers quarterback Big Board should stack up like the following:

10. Connor Cook-Michigan State University

9. Vernon Adams-University of Oregon

8. Christian Hackenberg-Penn State

7. Jacoby Brissett-North Carolina State

6. Brandon Allen-Arkansas

5. Dak Prescott-Mississippi State University

4. Paxton Lynch-Memphis

3. Cardale Jones-Ohio State University

2. Carson Wentz-North Dakota State University

1. Jared Goff-University of California-Berkely

Which one of these quarterbacks, if any, ends up with the 49ers is anybody’s guess. The trick of the draft is playing the timing to ensure that you select the players you value while getting them at a level that is consistent with your evaluations.

Trent Baalke may end up with one or two of the players on this list. Whether that happens in the first round or the seventh, the 49ers will need to be sure that they’re getting a quarterback to rebuild this team around.

Next: 2016 NFL Draft: 5 Sleeper Picks for 49ers

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Sports-Reference.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN Statistics unless otherwise indicated. Salary cap figures courtesy of OverTheCap.com unless otherwise indicated.