San Francisco 49ers: Re-Ranking NFL Draft Positional Priorities after Free Agency
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Quarterback
The Colin Kaepernick era in San Francisco is all but over, and Brian Hoyer is slated to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2017.
That’s not bad, in of itself. Hoyer worked under Kyle Shanahan when both were with the Cleveland Browns in 2014. But Hoyer is little more than a bridge quarterback and a mentor to the next guy the 49ers bring in.
Sure, the Niners could still engineer a trade for Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins. But that would surely be costly in draft capital, and the 49ers could just as easily have him in free agency a year from now.
Still, it would be wise for San Francisco to draft a quarterback this April. The only questions are who and how high?
Former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson might be the top selection, especially after his impressive NFL Scouting Combine performance. North Carolina QB Mitchell Trubisky might be in play, or the Niners could wait until later rounds to target someone like Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes or Cal’s Davis Webb.
But none of these quarterbacking prospects project to be a day-one starter in 2017. They’ll need development.
It’s up to San Francisco to determine whether or not that development starts this year or if the question mark is pushed off for a year or so.