The San Francisco 49ers have three quarterbacks on their roster right now, along with Thad Lewis on injured reserve. When free agency arrives next March, it is possible, and even likely that all four players will be free agents. Colin Kaepernick is the only player signed beyond next season, but he has an option on 2017. If he performs well, he is likely to opt out of his now two-year deal. If he does not perform well, the 49ers are likely to release him.
It is safe to say the 49ers will need to invest in a quarterback during the 2017 NFL Draft. We have no idea what the front office will look like when next April arrives, but quarterback will be a need.
We’ll be offering up our own QB rankings, but today I thought I’d share Pro Football Focus’ latest QB rankings. They published them two days ago, which means they reflect all performances midway through the 2016 college season. They use their grading system to assess performances, and so we get weekly looks at how players are performing, at least in the eye of one group of people.
PFF went into detail about each of the quarterbacks, but here are the top ten. It includes three players that will not be eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft. There are a mix of juniors and seniors in the rest of the group, and some of those with eligibility remaining might not declare for the draft.
1. Lamar Jackson, Louisville (sophomore)
2. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
3. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
4. Jake Browning, Washington (sophomore)
5. Greg Ward, Jr., Houston
6. Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech
7. Austin Allen, Arkansas
8. Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina
9. Chad Kelly, Ole Miss
10. Jalen Hurts, Alabama (freshman)
The 49ers have a lot of needs six months away from the draft. Will quarterback end up being best available at wherever they are drafting? Or will we see them wait on the position?