The 2016 NFL Draft is still nearly five months away, but the chatter is only picking up steam about the many prospects. The quarterback position is the most high profile position, and so, we get to hear more and more about how on-the-record and anonymous sources feel about the prospects that are likely to be eligible.
NFL.com writers Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein spoke with an NFC scout recently, and he had this to say about the 2016 quarterback class:
"I'd hate to be a team in need of a quarterback. The best two in this draft might end up being from Memphis and North Dakota State and that ought to scare the (expletive) out of you. It takes some courage to turn that card in."
There are plenty of caveats to consider. The first is that this is only one scout out of probably hundreds. The second is that anonymous sources can have their own agendas in saying what they say. I don't think a random quotation in December is going to swing a draft still five months later, but as we move forward and more anonymous sourcing comes along, we'll want to take it with the proverbial grain of salt. Remember, back in 2011, one scout said of the QB prospects, "I don't like any of them, really. There's no Sam Bradfords. There's no Josh Freeman. I think they're all second- or third rounders." So, as always, make of it what you will.
The 49ers are in a bit of a pickle right now. It seems highly likely that Colin Kaepernick is traded or released this coming offseason. Blaine Gabbert has shown some positive signs the last three games, but we don't know what the long-term plan is with him. He is signed through the 2016 season. Do the 49ers look at him as a transition option, a potential long-term option, or something else entirely? He only has three starts under his belt, but he has five starts in front of him this season. Whatever the result, we'll get a better idea of where things stand with him by January.
There will be plenty of debate about the upcoming draft class. This year's group will include the likes of Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, Connor Cook, Carson Wentz, and Christian Hackenburg, among many others. As we head into the offseason, we'll be doing film breakdown on as many of them as we can to get our own handle on the quarterbacks. In the meantime, we get plenty of anonymous sources!