49ers NFL Draft: Biggest winners, losers from 2021

Winner: 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Wait, didn’t the Niners draft Trey Lance to take over for Jimmy Garoppolo? And shouldn’t that constitute a loss for Jimmy G instead of a win?

Sort of. In the long run, it does.

A couple of things to chew on here. First, Lance isn’t pro-ready just yet, and San Francisco has made it known it plans on starting Garoppolo when the season begins while Lance develops. This potentially would have been less of a case had the 49ers drafted a quarterback like Alabama’s Mac Jones or Ohio State’s Justin Fields instead of Lance, as both of those two prospects are considered far more ready for NFL rigors.

Because of this, Garoppolo isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon, meaning he’ll be in line to fully cash in on his 2021 contract numbers worth up to $26.4 million.

If that’s not a win, what is? Had the Niners cut Garoppolo, most of that would be gone. If Garoppolo was traded during the draft, practically any team taking on his services would have conducted a contract restructure.

As far as Jimmy G’s long-term value, at least he gets a shot to improve it with one final season where he enjoys the fruits of a stockpiled offense while hopefully staying healthy.

That could potentially set him up for a much better context somewhere else in 2022.