49ers NFL Draft: 5 day-two quarterbacks John Lynch should look at

49ers Target No. 4: Sam Ehlinger, Texas

One of the knocks against Jimmy Garoppolo, at least according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows when he appeared on the Niner Noise Podcast recently, was Jimmy G was more “one of the guys” rather than a true locker-room leader.

It’s possible this has rubbed both John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan the wrong way, perhaps sparking some of the offseason speculation surrounding Jimmy G.

So if it’s leadership the Niners want at quarterback, they could do worse than targeting the Texas Longhorns’ Sam Ehlinger.

Ehlinger, who completed 60.2 percent of his passes in 2020 and 62.5 percent of his total collegiate passes over four years, isn’t the most athletic or awe-inspiring quarterback of any means. And he didn’t necessarily improve his draft stock during the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl either, perhaps staying on the maximum upper end of Round 3 come draft day.

That said, Ehlinger possesses something Kyle Trask doesn’t: the ability to make plays when things break down around him.

It’s an element Garoppolo has generally lacked, too, and the improvisational skills may be attractive to Shanahan, at least in terms of developmental capacity.