49ers may draft one of these quarterbacks if Brock Purdy ultimately flops
By Scott Conrad
3. Cade McNamara, University of Iowa
Why not replace one quarterback from Iowa with another? Brock Purdy played for Iowa State and this prospect, Cade McNamara, plays for their rival, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes quarterback entered his senior year with a bang. He logged a trio of touchdowns and 251 yards in the season opener against Illinois State.
Speaking of Iowa State, McNamara and his team have a matchup this weekend in Week 2 of the 2024 NCAA season. With a win, the team could move up into the top 20.
In his first year with Iowa last season, McNamara completed just 51 percent of his throws. But in 2021, he completed almost 65 percent of his passes for Michigan.
He did so while collecting 2,576 yards, 15 scores including a 93-yard bomb that year. McNamara only had six picks that season, as well.
The way the 49ers offense is built, a superstar quarterback may not be necessary. With one of the league's best runners in Christian McCaffrey and wideouts like Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, this is just a short list of the arsenal head coach Kyle Shanahan has on his roster.
The Reno, Nevada, native could even fall to the Niners in the second or third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Just maybe, if San Francisco moved on from Purdy and reset the quarterback contract, it could get lucky again.