49ers NFL Draft 2022: 4 quarterbacks who can back up Trey Lance

The 49ers likely turn to a veteran to back up Trey Lance in 2022, but there’s always the idea the NFL Draft could provide a quality No. 2 option.

The San Francisco 49ers should turn to a low-cost veteran free-agent quarterback to support Trey Lance in 2022, the next-place mentor once the Niners move on from Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason.

Perhaps someone who has worked within head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense before. Maybe another veteran signal-caller who has been around the league so much and in so many different spots, he’s regularly practiced against virtually every defensive coverage and scheme out there.

While that’s always a strong possibility, there’s another notion teams should take a quarterback every year of the NFL Draft regardless of their situation under center.

Sure, San Francisco has plenty of needs to address in the 2022 draft, but one could make an argument for a late-round pick to be used on an under-the-radar quarterback who could potentially work his way towards being the No. 2 option behind Lance in the upcoming years.

If the 49ers take this approach, these four less-heralded quarterbacks could be potential targets for Shanahan and Co. on day three of the NFL Draft this spring.

49ers NFL Draft Target No. 4: Chris Oladuokun, South Dakota State

The Niners are hoping to have success with an FCS quarterback in Lance, and there’s always the thinking a less-known signal-caller can rise up from the second-tier ranks towards becoming a likable commodity at the NFL level, too.

South Dakota State quarterback Chris Oladuokun might be one of those worth targeting, following his transfer path from Samford and, before that, South Florida.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Oladuokun might be a bit undersized to withstand the rigors of the pro game, although it’s nevertheless impressive enough to see his 62-percent completion rate for 3,164 yards and 25 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the Jackrabbits last season.

What makes Oladuokun a bit more intriguing, however, is he also possesses rushing capabilities in addition to a strong arm.

That might bode well for a developmental-type QB, and Oladuokun is certainly worth monitoring throughout the pre-draft process as a possible Round 7 pick.

49ers NFL Draft Target No. 3: Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M

Chris Oladuokun, not unlike Trey Lance, lacks a lot of college experience, and that might not be something San Francisco would want to entertain if it can find another hidden-gem quarterbacking prospect late in the draft who has a similar skill set but has seen a lot more of the field during his collegiate tenure.

In this case, someone like Alabama A&M’s Aqeel Glass, a three-year starter who also boasts solid rushing capabilities and, at 6-foot-5 and 217 pounds, is a bit more sturdy than Oladuokun.

This scouting report from NFL Sapient provides a little more insight as to what Glass might offer to a team targeting him late on day three of the draft:

"A big arm that is capable of stretching the field. Throws with decent velocity when he needs to. Beautiful touch ball. Flashes the ability to throw with touch very well. Struggles to get the deep ball touch in there accurately. Deep accuracy in general is not at all ideal. … Moves well out of the pocket. Used in designed roll-out plays. Maneuverers through traffic extremely well. A very average runner moving downfield. A little bit too lumbery and upright. Works well to keep the play alive. Very much aware of situations. Uses his eyes and body language very well."

Not unlike what the 49ers already have with Lance, Glass appears to be someone who’d excel when rolling out of the pocket, which could prove to be a nice deep-reserve addition to Kyle Shanahan’s depth chart.

49ers NFL Draft Target No. 2: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA

Late-end draft diamonds are likely to be the only quarterbacks the Niners target this year, although it’s surely possible they take a flier on one of those mid-round prospects if they wind up falling.

Cross off the idea of Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder or Georgia’s J.T. Daniels, though, as those middle-of-the-road prospects are likely to see their respective draft stocks increase leading up to Round 1 because of the thin nature of this year’s quarterbacking class.

One player who could rise, too, is UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has put together a solid four-year stint as a starter and had some modest success in head coach Chip Kelly’s offense (yes, him, San Francisco fans).

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 1/6/2022.

Additionally, Thompson-Robinson doubles as a rushing threat (he had 611 rush yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in 2021) and possesses the skills necessary to evade pressure within the pocket and extend plays.

Read More: 4 free-agent QBs 49ers can sign to push Trey Lance

At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, there’ll be concerns about his size and whatever limitations those bring at the NFL level.

Thompson-Robinson’s arm isn’t in question. If anything, his decision-making process needs a lot of work for him to succeed at the next level, and at best, he’d be a project for at least the first two years of his career.

Still, for a late-round target, say in Round 6 or so, the 49ers could do worse for Trey Lance’s backup.

49ers NFL Draft Target No. 1: Brock Purdy, Iowa State

There’s always the outside chance the Niners explore using one of their middle 2022 NFL Draft picks on a quarterback. It doesn’t seem feasible, but having someone who could at least pressure Trey Lance with the long-term threat of potentially challenging him for a starting job isn’t the worst-case scenario.

Like Dorian Thompson-Robinson, it’s anyone’s guess where Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy winds up being drafted this spring, entirely contingent upon the pre-draft process and how he looks during workouts.

And while his collegiate finale versus Clemson ended in failure, it shouldn’t take away what he accomplished as a four-year starter:

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 1/6/2022.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Purdy is almost a Jimmy Garoppolo-lite kind of quarterback, not showing any kind of elusiveness within the pocket and frequently living with passes between the numbers over the middle of the field.

And while he has the arm to get throws down the field, it’s not with accuracy.

But Kyle Shanahan might be intrigued by that anyway, potentially looking at more of a traditional pocket-passer with Purdy, should he not wind up being in that mix of prospects who climbs the ranks leading up to draft day.

The 2022 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 28.