San Francisco 49ers: Regrading 2017 NFL Draft class

Round 3: 49ers Quarterback C.J. Beathard

Solomon Thomas seemed to be a safe pick. Reuben Foster looked like a steal. Even Ahkello Witherspoon looked like a solid selection.

Former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard, however, was quite a stretch at the end of Round 3, especially considering the 49ers traded up into the round again to get him.

Many a big board pegged Beathard as a fifth- or sixth-round pick and backup, at best. Yet he was the only quarterback Kyle Shanahan wanted in that year’s class, and the hope was Shanahan could at least turn him into a quality backup.

Three years later, that certainly hasn’t been the case.

Beathard was put into a starting role early his rookie year, thanks to then-Niners quarterback Brian Hoyer’s on-field struggles. Then when Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an ACL tear early in 2018, Beathard was again thrust into the starting job.

The end result? A 1-9 starting record and near-league-low stats among qualifiers in both 2017 and 2018.

San Francisco retained Beathard as the No. 3 option behind Garoppolo and Nick Mullens last year, but one has to wonder if Beathard’s days with the team are now numbered.

Simply put, this pick didn’t pan out much at all.