SF 49ers: Ranking top 5 needs in 2021 NFL Draft
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers NFL Draft Need No. 3: Quarterback
Do the SF 49ers move on from their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, in 2021? Possibly. Doing so would save $24.1 million in cap space, which would allow John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to retain a lot of the free agents they have as well as free up money for other key players eventually needing extensions.
Yet that could open up a slew of problems under center, too, as replacing a starting quarterback isn’t as easy as it would seem for armchair general managers or Madden game enthusiasts.
Still, that doesn’t mean the Niners should completely avoid a quarterback in the NFL Draft altogether. And even if Garoppolo is retained, drafting one relatively early would be a wise move.
For starters, San Francisco is poised to lose backup quarterbacks Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard to free agency this offseason. Right there, the team needs some depth to support Garoppolo, who has suffered two major injuries during his SF 49ers tenure already.
More importantly, bringing aboard a young and hopefully up-and-coming quarterback would pressure Garoppolo to perform better than what Shanahan and the Niners have received from him thus far.
Competition is never a bad thing. And in terms of San Francisco’s quarterback room, Shanahan could use a lot of it heading into 2021 regardless of what Jimmy G’s future is.