Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down the quarterback depth chart for 2018

By Peter Panacy

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass the football in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass the football in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 10: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on December 10, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

QB No. 1: Jimmy Garoppolo

All it took was a perfect 5-0 record over the course of 2017 to turn Jimmy Garoppolo into the NFL’s highest-paid player this offseason.

He no longer has that accolade (thank you, Kirk Cousins), but there’s little reason to assume Garoppolo can’t reach the level of hype associated with such a big contract.

Pro Football Focus explained why:

"Even though there are reasons for pause, this is no fluke. This is no Brock Osweiler or Mike Glennon. This is no ‘maybe he’ll develop into the guy’. This is elite quarterbacking right now. In Seth Wickersham’s report this week on the power struggles in New England, he claimed Bill Belichick hand-picked the 49ers and offensive guru Kyle Shanahan as the destination for Garoppolo because of how much the Patriots’ coach believed in Jimmy G as a franchise quarterback."

Yeah.

You can dive into the numbers all you want. But the 5-0 record as a Niners starter, including three wins over 2017 playoff teams, is indicative enough. So is the fact the 49ers averaged 409.6 yards per game with Garoppolo under center, as compared to 321.7 without him starting.

As long as Garoppolo can stay healthy and continue to develop under Kyle Shanahan, who operates one of the most complex offenses in the NFL, we should expect some pretty top-level quarterbacking this season.