Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Grading the 2017 NFL Draft class after one full year

By Peter Panacy

Solomon Thomas of Stanford with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Solomon Thomas of Stanford with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the warm up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 26: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during the warm up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Iowa. C.J. BEATHARD. D-. . Quarterback

It was a little bit of a shock to see the 49ers trade up to grab former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard at the tail end of Round 3.

Especially when more than a few draft boards had Beathard ranked as a fifth- or sixth-round pick at best.

Beathard eventually took over starting duties from an ineffective Brian Hoyer, although the rookie wasn’t exactly better. His 54.9 completion percentage? Next to last among all qualifiers. His 69.2 passer rating? Same thing. Only Cleveland Browns QB DeShone Kizer was worse in both categories.

To be fair to Beathard, though, he likely wasn’t drafted to be a long-term starter. He’s a career backup, and the Niners have that position solved now behind their new No. 1, Jimmy Garoppolo. And that’s important.

If we were grading on guts and toughness, Beathard would get an A-plus.

But considering how high he was drafted, combined with the numbers produced, Beathard gets low marks his rookie season.