Report: 49ers undecided on which QB they'll draft at No. 3 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers made a franchise-defining move Friday when they traded three first-round picks to acquire the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft from the Miami Dolphins in order to have their pick of the quarterback litter that is left after the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets make their selections.
General manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan made the move in order to find their quarterback of the future, the 49ers don't yet know who that signal-caller will be, according to NBC Sports' Peter King.
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"It seems stunning to think Alabama’s Mac Jones could be the Niners’ choice—and “could be” is the operative phrase because the Niners have not decided who to choose at three," King noted in his latest Football Morning in America column.
Trevor Lawrence is headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 1. That has been true since the Jags leapfrogged the Jets for the worst record late in the season. While the Jets haven't telegraphed what they plan to do with quarterback Sam Darnold, conventional wisdom suggests BYU's Zach Wilson soon will be calling East Rutherford, New Jersey home.
That will leave the 49ers with their choice between Ohio State's Justin Fields, North Dakota State's Trey Lance and Alabama's Mac Jones at No. 3.
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Each quarterback has pros and cons. Fields was sensational for two seasons at Ohio State but had shaky moments when pressured by Indiana and Northwestern. Lance was dominant in his lone season as the starter for the Bison and has possibly the highest upside of any quarterback in the class but he will need time to develop.
Then, there's Jones. The Alabama star is coming off the highest-graded season by a Power Five quarterback in Pro Football Focus history. He's an accurate thrower and a quick processor, but his athletic limitations might make him a reach at No. 3.
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At the moment, the 49ers appear content to go into the 2021 season with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback, choosing to let whomever they select sit behind the 29-year-old and develop before taking over in 2022.
It's a good plan for a team loaded with high-priced veterans that believes it can compete for a Super Bowl in 2021 with Garoppolo at the helm.
Lynch and Shanahan have tied themselves to whichever quarterback they select at No. 3. They just haven't decided who that will be just yet.
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