It looks like we’re off Mac Jones. It’s safe to say that nobody knows who the 49ers are taking at No. 3, which was the case all along.
“I think they head in with the idea that Garoppolo will be the Week 1 starter,” Schefter told Matt Maiocco. “I think that’s the plan today. Do plans change? Sometimes they do, right? That happens. If somebody makes an offer for Jimmy Garoppolo, do I think they’d listen? If it were compelling enough, sure, why not? Why wouldn’t you, right?
“I don’t know that any of that’s going to happen, and that’s why I believe that they are planning to go into the season with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback.
“Plus, again, two of the last three seasons, he’s been hurt. So, if you have Jimmy, and he gets hurt, well, now you’ve got your rookie quarterback. You don’t have to throw the rookie quarterback into the fire right away. You can bring him along slowly, a lot like Kansas City did with Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith.”
But Lance is green. He played only one season of college football and completed just 208 passes. He’s the least experienced first-round quarterback ever, which means he either needs to sit the first two seasons or play right away so he can experience the growing pains and learn on the job.
The 49ers have a Super Bowl window — they need to win now. They can’t afford yet another losing season in 2021, because that would be Kyle Shanahan’s fourth losing season in five years. He needs to a quarterback who helps him win next season. That’s not Lance.
Lance should go to a team where he can sit behind a Hall of Fame quarterback for a couple years, or a rebuilding team with a new coaching staff.
Mock Draft Sunday: 49ers get active in trade market in 3-round projection
Joseph is going to be a popular Day 2 selection in our mocks. He’s inexperienced with only 15 college games, but his combination of size, athleticism and production last season makes him a very intriguing prospect. The 49ers may need to let him sit a year to help him develop, but he projects long-term to be a starting-caliber outside corner.
“I think all the quarterbacks bring different elements to the table. I think Trey Lance has a big ceiling. Justin Fields has a big ceiling. Mac Jones might not have the same ceiling, but again, he has different attributes. That’s up to them to make that decision and to ultimately decide. But again, I still think they have to come to their final decision. I think they have three weeks to do that.
“Now if you’re asking me today who I would guess, I would guess Mac Jones today. But we’re also three weeks away from the draft. There’s going to be a lot of meetings. There’s going to be a lot of discussions. They’re going to be attending workouts. So, what happens between now and then? I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll find out what enters their thought process, what gets brought up in discussion, and factors push them, ultimately, to the quarterback that they decide to take.”
