Pro Football Focus is making their way across each position and ranking all 32 teams. On Monday, they released their quarterback rankings, and it is no surprise the San Francisco 49ers end up near the bottom. PFF ranked them No. 31, with only the New York Jets ranked worse.
PFF listed Blaine Gabbert as the starter and Colin Kaepernick as the backup. They then had this analysis for the position group:
Key stat: 2015 was by far the best season of Blaine Gabbert’s career, and still saw him grade below average, with a passer rating of 86.2.
The 49ers will be hoping Chip Kelly can work his magic on their quarterbacks, because on paper, neither Gabbert nor Kaepernick has been able to perform well going back for several years. Kaepernick has at least had a stretch of play at this level where he looked legit, but Gabbert has never justified his first-round selection on the field. Kelly’s system was able to make Nick Foles look like a superstar and Sam Bradford have a fine year despite a faltering running game, so there is a chance that whoever earns this job has the best season they have had in some time if the same thing happens in San Francisco.
It’s a lot of the usual that we’ve come to hear quite frequently about the quarterback position. I do think the Foles/Bradford history provides more than just a chance for a solid season from the 49ers starter. But a lot of this will depend on if the offensive line holds up, and if one or two receivers emerge as credible options opposite Torrey Smith. There is potential on the offense, but a lot of questions left to be answered, so I certainly get the low ranking.
The Jets are below them at 32, thanks to Geno Smith currently listed as the starting quarterback. If they get Ryan Fitzpatrick back in camp, I imagine that would probably result in a bump, but for now, it’s Geno, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg. The Cleveland Browns are a spot ahead of the 49ers at 31, while the Denver Broncos are 30. The top five include the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and Seattle Seahawks.