2021 NFL Draft: One quarterback SF 49ers can scout in each round

The SF 49ers are likely to select a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, but when and who is up in the air. Here are some by-round names to scout.

The SF 49ers‘ quarterback room is going to look different in 2021.

Whether it’s drastically different from the four names the Niners had on the roster to close out the season — Jimmy Garoppolo, C.J. Beathard, Nick Mullens and Josh Rosen — or if it retains the majority of those names is yet to be determined.

But there’s plenty enough speculation San Francisco moves on from Garoppolo, both in a salary cap-saving move this offseason and potentially to find a signal-caller capable of lifting head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense to higher levels. Even if the SF 49ers retain Jimmy G, though, they could easily bid farewell to his backups, Beathard, Mullens and Rosen, who are all free agents this offseason.

This likely means the Niners will add at least one quarterback in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, if not to necessarily replace Garoppolo, but at a minimum of providing some depth behind him next season with Beathard, Mullens and Rosen all potentially gone.

The 2021 quarterbacking class is awfully top-heavy with some well-discussed names likely going early in Round 1. Armed with eight picks, currently, and not including any compensatory selections just yet, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch can still look at other names in later rounds to bulk up this portion of the depth chart.

So, for this exercise, Niner Noise explores one quarterback worth scouting in each round of the draft as a potential addition. Naturally, the players towards the top will get more attention.

But those late-round finds could be just as vital, too.

Let’s start off in Round 1, though.