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Former San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan currently operates an independent scouting service that provides reports and information to team and agent clients. When talking about college prospects, he has generally kept his comments fairly general due to various confidentiality clauses.
McCloughan has said repeatedly that he thinks three quarterbacks will probably be drafted in the top ten of 2018 NFL Draft, and five or so could go in the first round as a whole. On Tuesday, he offered his most specific comments yet in discussing the quarterback class.
The radio host listed off a few of the notable names (Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Luke Falk), and then asked McCloughan directly, “You gotta pick one quarterback to lead your franchise, Scott, who’s it gonna be?”
Without missing a beat, McCloughan said Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. McCloughan had this to say about Mayfield.
“He reminds me of a shorter version of Brett Favre. Tough guy. He can throw it. And he’s very confident, and he’s not afraid whatsoever, whatsoever. He’s a battler. I know saying Brett Favre’s a big name, and I was around him for a while, but this guy’s got talent. Every guy you mention has talent. I’ve already said I think three guys go in the top ten, I think five go in the first round.”
Right now, the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers sit atop the draft order, the last two winless teams in the NFL. The Browns seem to still need a quarterback, while the 49ers have moved on to the stage of trying to figure out what C.J. Beathard brings to the table. We’ve got 10 weeks of 49ers football remaining to see if Beathard is going to be an answer, or if it will be time to make the heavy investment at the position.