49ers roster 2024: Tanner Mordecai could be more than just a developmental QB

The 49ers picked up Tanner Mordecai after the 2024 NFL Draft, but he could legitimately contend for a spot on the 53-man roster right away.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was this close to becoming an undrafted free agent, saved only by the Niners using the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to land him.

That move turned out well.

San Francisco opted not to draft a quarterback in 2024, but it did sign one immediately thereafter, Wisconsin's Tanner Mordecai, a prospect with six years of collegiate experience that included stints with Oklahoma and SMU before heading to join the Badgers in 2023.

Interestingly enough, Mordecai is slightly older than Purdy despite the latter entering year three of his pro career.

The 6-foot-2, 211-pound signal-caller might have benefited more by declaring for the 2023 draft instead of transfering to Wisconsin where his overall numbers took a bit of a hit, and Mordecai could have ended up being drafted instead of joining the UDFA ranks.

That said, it's hard to imagine a significantly better context than going to the 49ers.

Tanner Mordecai scouting report

Having not watched too many of Mordecai's collegiate tape, let's pull what our friend, Rohan Chakravarthi over at Niners Nation, said about him shortly after the Niners signed him:

"Overall, the quarterback showcased solid accuracy across the field, especially in the short area, and worked in an offense that predicated itself on getting the ball out quickly at both SMU and Wisconsin with a ton of half-field reads in the RPO system.

Additionally, Mordecai has good athleticism, showcasing an ability to take off both as a scrambler and on quarterback keepers in the RPO game.

Mordecai does tend to have happy feet as well, which can lead to inconsistencies with his accuracy at times."

Chakravarthi also acknowledged how Wisconsin's offense was configured well enough to take advantage of the quarterback's strengths, which undoubtedly hindered his draft stock heading into the spring of 2024.

Those developmental traits could be something San Francisco openly tries to develop.

Tanner Mordecai's contract with 49ers

According to Over the Cap, the 49ers inked Mordecai to a three-year deal worth up to $2.855 million, $125,000 of which is guaranteed.

That's not a massive financial loss, in terms of dead money, should Mordecai fail to make the 53-man roster in year one. But it's a decent incentive for him to try scratching out a spot on the back end of the depth chart.

Provided he beats out one of Purdy's other two backups in training camp and in the preseason.

What Tanner Mordecai can do to make 49ers' 53-man roster

Purdy already has two veteran quarterbacks to support him entering 2024, Brandon Allen and the offseason's free-agent pickup, Josh Dobbs.

Dobbs' fully guaranteed one-year deal, worth $2.25 million, is indication enough he'll be on the 53-man roster in 2024.

Allen, meanwhile, would incur a dead-money hit of just $700,000 if he fails to make the roster, which would pave the way for Mordecai to insert himself into the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind Purdy and Dobbs.

Related story: Analyzing each 49ers UDFA and how they fit on the 53-man roster

That would be the best-case scenario this season for the rookie, serving as the emergency third-stringer but also as someone who might be the go-to behind Purdy once Dobbs and/or Allen's contract expires in 2025.

Of course, Mordecai will have to prove that 2023 was more of an anomaly than a sign of things to come while also showing mastery of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, all the while displaying the traits that made him such an intruiguing UDFA signing.

If those elements are revealed during training camp and in the preseason, the Niners may not want to risk subjecting the rookie to waivers in an attempt to stash him on the practice squad for a year's development.

And that could lead to a roster spot in year one.

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