Why the 49ers should draft another quarterback this year

Here’s why the 49ers should be looking at quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.

With a month having passed since the San Francisco 49ers’ crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game, the focus has now officially shifted to the offseason.

The Niners enter with a fully-stacked roster, enough space to add to the margins, and, just as they’ve always had under head coach Kyle Shanahan, a huge question at the quarterback position.

Despite arguments to keep Jimmy Garoppolo, it is increasingly likely the former San Francisco starter will be on another roster come next year. That leaves the 49ers with Trey Lance, the still-unproven first-round pick rehabbing his broken foot, and Brock Purdy, who was a revelation this year filling yet.

But it’s never so simple.

Purdy suffered a torn UCL in the game against the Eagles and is currently waiting for the injury to become more manageable to proceed with surgery. While the process should still clear him for training camp, it leaves the Niners in a difficult position, with two quarterbacks on different timelines and neither completely healthy.

Some have considered a veteran “insurance policy,” such as potentially Matt Ryan, as speculated by Grant Cohn of SI.com, should he be released, or even bringing back Josh Johnson as the logical step for the 49ers to take to protect themselves from future injury.

But the best option for San Francisco may be to add another young arm by drafting another quarterback somewhere in the sixth or seventh round.

Downside of 49ers drafting a QB

However, there are obvious drawbacks to drafting another quarterback. For starters, the likelihood that any signal-caller taken that late in the draft turns out to be an even passable NFL quarterback is next to nothing.

It’s, in many ways, akin to wasting a late-round pick that might be used on a specialized player who could fill a specific role.

Additionally, drafting a QB doesn’t get rid of the elephant in the room: the health of both Lance and Purdy. Placing San Francisco’s season in the hands of a rookie only worked last year because Purdy was an aberration.

Doing it again could doom an important year in the 49ers’ window.

Upside of 49ers drafting a QB

But Purdy is perhaps the perfect example of why San Francisco should still take a flyer on a QB in the draft.

Right when Purdy was drafted, I wrote an article detailing why Brock Purdy’s selection was quite relevant for the 49ers. Though I did not predict (and strongly suggested against) the possibility of Purdy being a starter-level player, capable of going on the heater that he did last year, I did note that:

"There’s no downside here because there’s nothing the team could have missed. The 49ers understood that and utilized their pick for a complete upside play simply off the fact quarterbacks are valuable, even if their upside is capped."

Quarterbacks will always be the most important players in football, and having even a backup-level player can pay huge dividends to any roster. Beyond roster insurance for injuries, they’re the most valuable trade chips in the NFL.

And, to be completely frank, neither Niners QB has justified being an entrenched starter for now.

Drafting a quarterback doesn’t even preclude the signing of a veteran backup. Last year, the Niners allowed Purdy and Nate Sudfeld to compete for the backup position, and Purdy won that battle.

But with 11 picks at a minimum, three of which will be in the seventh round, there’s ample opportunity to pull the trigger on a flyer and see what happens.