Top 3 Quarterback Prospects For San Francisco In 2017 Draft
The San Francisco 49ers (1-10) are in a battle with the Cleveland Browns (0-12) for the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and both teams will be in the hunt for a franchise quarterback.
Both Cleveland and San Francisco are so bad, it's hard to say who will end up with the first overall pick, but for the sake of this list, let's just say the Browns come off its bye week in week 14 rejuvenated and win two of the last four games.
Not only does Cleveland get two wins in the remainder of the season, but San Francisco will go winless and end up with the first pick of the draft.
The quarterback position is going to be the one spot the Niners will need to fill more than any other. There's a chance Colin Kaepernick returns to the team because he has a player option for next season, but it's clear he isn't the answer for the future.
Now that the college football regular season is all but wrapped up, let's take a look at the college quarterbacks who could be called in the first round by the Niners.
1. Deshaun Watson - Clemson
The Clemson quarterback finished in third place for the Heisman Award in 2015 and is sure to be a finalist again in 2016.
Watson's ability to play within the pocket and on the run has him at the top of the list for NFL ready quarterbacks. This season, he has 3,626 yards passing with 34 touchdowns while adding another 444 yards and four touchdowns rushing with the ACC Championship remaining.
His passing numbers are almost identical to what he did last season, however, his rushing numbers dropped quite a bit. In 2015, Watson ran for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. The drop in rushing numbers isn't much of a concern; an NFL quarterback is not expected to put up those elite running back type numbers.
Dual threat quarterbacks have been popular in NFL Drafts during recent years. Players like Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston and Carson Wentz are all quarterbacks who went at the top of their respective drafts because of their ability inside and outside the pocket.
2. DeShone Kizer - Notre Dame
The Notre Dame quarterback doesn't have the numbers to be in the running for a Heisman, nor does he have a great win-loss record, but it's his physical attributes and skills which have him at the top of draft boards.
Kizer stands tall at 6-feet-4, but he doesn't lack in mobility for his height. He is another dual threat quarterback who is just as dangerous running the ball as he is throwing.
In the two seasons he started as the Notre Dame quarterback, Kizer ran for just under 1,000 yard and 18 touchdowns.
The most intriguing part of Kizer's game is his rocket arm. However, having a strong arm doesn't always compute to being a good quarterback at the NFL level (i.e. JaMarcus Russell, Jay Cutler).
NFL.com's draft analyst Lance Zierlein compares Kizer to Steve McNair because of the arm strength, mental makeup and toughness.
3. Mitch Trubisky - North Carolina
Out of the three quarterbacks on this list, Trubisky is the best true quarterback of the group. He's not nearly as good on the ground as Watson or Kizer, but his accuracy and ability to not turn the ball over is most intriguing.
He threw for nearly 3,500 yards and 28 touchdowns this season while only throwing four interceptions. Trubisky doesn't do anything that jumps off the table. He would most likely be labeled as a game manager, but ask Alex Smith, it's not the worst thing to be.
Trubisky may not be the type of quarterback to be able to turn around a franchise, but he can be a quality player for a team who surrounds him with talent.
With that said, he wouldn't be the best fit for San Francisco. They don't have the talent on offense to help Trubisky be successful. However, if the Niners think Kaepernick will return in 2017, the team could draft Trubisky with an eye to the future.