Each year, we run a series of post called "90-in-90" here at Niners Nation. The idea is that we'll take a look at every single player on the roster, from the very bottom to the top and break them down a few different ways. This is to help give everyone a basic understanding of a roster. Of course, this roster will change, and some days we'll have more than one so it's not strictly one per day but you get the idea.
Originally, I was going to have my good friend Semaj Ydarb write this piece on C.J. Beathard and have fun with it. That is still possible, but for now, I don’t really think there’s much material to work with on Beathard, and that’s the story of how we should all feel about him right now, in a way.
Beathard is the rookie quarterback the San Francisco 49ers drafted. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have said all the right things about liking him as a potential future starter, and all the right things about believing in his potential and ceiling. But ultimately, the pick was made because folks expect the 49ers to draft a quarterback high in 2018 or 2019, and Beathard is just a guy they liked.
How much they like him is a thing I don’t think we’ll truly know unless things unwind in a very specific way. The right people would need to get injured at the right time for Beathard to see the field. He’s already a popular player with the fanbase though, and sometimes it’s hard to separate legitimate fandom and joking fandom.
The backup quarterback is always a favorite, though. Is Beathard good enough to be a backup, or a starter, and if not, will he ever be?
Beathard was a third-round pick, earlier than most predicted but we never know what kind of information is circulated between teams and war rooms on draft day. In four seasons with Iowa, he played in 41 games (28 starts) and completed 454 of 782 passes for 5,562 yards and 40 touchdowns.
In that time, he also threw 19 touchdowns, and averaged 7.1 yards per attempt. He’s a raw prospect, with a powerful arm, a quick release and is plenty athletic. His accuracy can be a problem at times, and he doesn’t take the best care of the ball. It was one of the things that drove me mad about Colin Kaepernick and unfortunately, Beathard has many of the same tendencies.
Touch is not his strongest suit. But as a third-round pick, there’s a lot to like about him and the tools at his disposal. It’s easy to see why Lynch and Shanahan would like him.
Scouting reports
Basic info
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 219 lbs
Age: 23 (24 on November 16)
Experience: Rookie
Cap status
Beathard is a rookie third-round pick and signed a four-year contract like all players taken after the first round. The contract is worth just over $3.1 million or thereabouts, and he gets a signing bonus of just over $700,000. His base salary won’t break $1 million in any of his four seasons on the contract.
What to expect in 2017
Beathard will probably be in a position to start the fourth preseason game, but I expect his time in the first three will be limited while the coaching staff gets a look at starter Brian Hoyer. Beathard will not see the field unless injuries happen, and it will probably take multiple injuries to get him out there.
Odds of making the roster
I don’t think there’s a scenario where Beathard is released with the hopes of being stashed on the practice squad. I fully expect the 49ers to keep him on the 53-man roster, behind Hoyer and Matt Barkley. He’ll be inactive on gamedays.