San Francisco 49ers Seven Round Mock Draft
ROUND 7 (254th OVERALL) – QB BRYAN BENNETT (SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA)
Jan 21, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad quarterback
Bryan Bennettof Southeastern Louisiana (13) points out the defense during Senior Bowl South squad practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports
While Bryan Bennett comes from a small school, a lot of people may remember him from the University of Oregon. Bennett was supposed to be the next in line, until a guy named Marcus Mariota came and ruined his chance. Southern Louisiana is where Bennett ended up transferring and ended up having a solid senior year.
Arm strength and athleticism are Bennett’s strengths, and his leaping ability was superb and was tops at the Combine for a quarterback. Accuracy is still an issue on short passes, and he relies too much on his arm. Those problems were evident at Oregon as well.
Bennett almost sounds like a Kaepernick clone right out of college. Both possess strong arms but lack top accuracy. Therefore, he is relying on athleticism to create plays and get by, instead of developing the mental part of the game.
At the Senior Bowl, Bennett turned heads and impressed. He is probably not going to be a future starter for a franchise, but he certainly would not be a bad choice as a backup. The 49ers have dealt with mediocrity at backup since the departure of Alex Smith. Blaine Gabbert and Josh Johnson have not been viable options.
This offseason, Gabbert was re-signed to be the backup, as he apparently has improved. Since Kaepernick is all they have, it would be nice to upgrade the depth at the quarterback position, in case Gabbert doesn’t pan out again.
Learning from Kaepernick and coaches in the San Francisco, could benefit Bennett for the long-term to develop into a nice backup in the league. The athletic abilities are there, it is just a matter of whether the mental mindset of the game will develop. A seventh round draft pick investment is worth the trial.