49ers would be thrilled if 6 QBs are drafted in Round 1 (as this mock suggests)

More quarterbacks being drafted in Round 1 this April ultimately means more top-level prospects get pushed down to the Niners at No. 31 overall.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams (13)
USC quarterback Caleb Williams (13) / Ryan Kang/GettyImages
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A recent NFL.com mock draft has six quarterbacks being drafted in Round 1, which would be great news for the No. 31 overall-picking 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers fans know just how big a gamble it can be to pin a franchise's hopes on a top-prospect quarterback toward the very beginning of the NFL Draft.

Back in 2021, of course, the Niners aggressively traded up to grab quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall, and he became one of five signal-callers selected in Round 1 that particular year.

Lance, along with four of the other five selected, is no longer with his original team. Only Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence remains as the sole member of that first-round crop who's sticking with the team that drafted him this season.

That said, teams in need of a quarterback frequently have to take that kind of gamble despite the high chance of it backfiring.

Fortunately for San Francisco, the ascent of quarterback Brock Purdy removes head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad from the list of teams in that kind of dire need.

Like 2021, there are plenty of prospective quarterbacks who'll be eyed as team fits this April. According to a recent mock draft by NFL.com's Charles Davis, six signal-callers end up being drafted in Round 1.

49ers benefit if 6 quarterbacks are drafted in Round 1

Let's take a look at those six first-round quarterback selections Davis mocks out:

Team

Quarterback

Draft Pick

Bears

Caleb Williams (USC)

No. 1 overall

Commanders

Drake Maye (North Carolina)

No. 2 overall

Patriots

Jayden Daniels (LSU)

No. 3 overall

Vikings

J.J. McCarthy (Michigan)

No. 11 overall

Seahawks

Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)

No. 16 overall

Rams

Bo Nix (Oregon)

No. 19 overall

Two of the 49ers' NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, toss proverbial curveballs here by grabbing quarterbacks as long-term investments and despite boasting Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith, respectively.

But it doesn't necessarily matter which teams end up making the six listed quarterback selections.

Instead, it's the fact that each quarterback selected ends up pushing another Round 1-caliber prospect further down the draft board in the Niners' direction.

For what it's worth, Davis' mock has San Francisco grabbing Oklahoma offensive tackle Tyler Guyton at No. 31 overall, and it's not the first mock out there that has a tackle going to the 49ers in this spot.

That said, the 49ers would benefit by having more tackles from which to choose, should that be the choice toward the end of the first round, thanks to so many other teams opting to use their Round 1 picks on signal-callers.

Provided that few/none of those selected in the first round wind up being franchise centerpieces going forward, the Niners would benefit even more.

But it'll be a few years before that last X-factor is revealed.

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