Could the San Francisco 49ers pull off a draft-day stunner and take a QB?

The San Francisco 49ers hold the second overall pick in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft — could they be looking to pull a stunner and select a quarterback?

On the one hand, the San Francisco 49ers have who they believe is a franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. On the other hand, they’ve yet to see much from their $137.5 million investment in him.

Just three games into the 2018 season — what was to be his first full season as a starter — Garoppolo tore his ACL, ending his season prematurely and sending the 49ers into a tailspin that culminated in a 4-12 record and the second overall pick in the draft.

Given the expectations coming into the year, you can understand 49ers fans stumbling through the season feeling completely shellshocked.

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After all, it wasn’t supposed to be like that. Not after Garoppolo engineered a sterling five-game run to close out the 2017 season, earning him a shiny new contract that made him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL for about five minutes, and injected hope into what had become an increasingly despondent fanbase.

Now, with Garoppolo still on the mend and some wondering aloud whether he’ll be ready to go when the season opens, there’s a palpable sense of concern and frustration among the 49ers faithful given the very real possibility that the team opens with either C.J. Beathard or Nick Mullens under center.

It’s not exactly a backup situation that inspires a lot of confidence.

But assuming Garoppolo is healthy, fit, and good to go, everything should be shiny and great, right? After all, he’s the franchise, isn’t he? The golden boy and the second coming of Joe Montana?

To hear some people talk after that five-game winning streak at the back end of 2017, you certainly would have thought so.

But let’s be honest here — Garoppolo didn’t exactly light it up straight out of the gates last season. He started the year 1-2, with a completion percentage just under 60 percent, throwing for 718 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.

For a guy thought to be a franchise quarterback who’d just signed a $137.5 million dollar deal, he didn’t perform like it early on. Granted, the sample size is small, but you have to think what can only be described as a regression from the tail end of 2017 didn’t escape the notice of San Francisco brass.

So now, here we are, coming off a disastrous season with the 49ers holding the second overall pick in the upcoming 2019 NFL Draft and one has to wonder if it’s possible they could be looking to pull off a draft-day stunner by taking a quarterback.

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If the Arizona Cardinals do what’s widely expected and make Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray the first overall pick, San Francisco could potentially snatch Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins or Missouri’s Drew Lock off the boards.

With Garoppolo so highly esteemed and having a monster contract in hand, it seems preposterous, right? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

There are a few signs floating around out there that may point to it being a little less preposterous than you might think. This is just one man’s reading of the tea leaves, of course. Ask five other people and you’ll likely get five different interpretations. But that’s what this time of year is all about, isn’t it?

First, let’s take a look at the fact that they showed interest in Odell Beckham Jr. when the Giants had him up on the block. Reportedly, New York wanted San Francisco’s second overall pick this year — a price GM John Lynch deemed too steep to pay.

Okay, fair enough.

But with a depth chart headed by Marquise Goodwin, Jordan Matthews, Dante Pettis, and Trent Taylor, why would you not add one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the game today? OBJ has the ability to change the entire complexion of a game and would have provided Garoppolo with a big-time target who could step in on day one and help take the offense to another level entirely.

Beckham could have paid far bigger dividends to Garoppolo and the 49ers offense than Jordan Matthews. Why they would pass on providing their franchise quarterback and their offense a game changing weapon like Beckham is mind boggling. Unless there’s a reason they’re stubbornly holding on to that second overall pick.

Secondly, there are some out there who are openly questioning Garoppolo’s durability. In a recent discussion, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio expressed concerns about Garoppolo’s ability to stay healthy.

"“Even if Garoppolo is healthy, he hasn’t proven he can stay healthy. He had that four-game audition in 2016 with the Patriots, and he got injured in the second game. It opened the door for Jacoby Brissett. So, Garoppolo has not been a guy who has proven to be durable, and I think that is a real concern.”"

And knowing Garoppolo’s track record with injuries, it makes sense to have a capable backup — just ask the Philadelphia Eagles how important that is. And despite a few flashes here and there, neither Mullens nor Beathard have proven to be especially capable as a starter.

It makes some amount of sense for the 49ers to look into taking one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft.

San Francisco 49ers

And lastly, the 49ers have an out in 2020 should Garappolo, whenever he gets back on the field, look more like the 1-2 quarterback he was in 2018 than the one who finished 2017 5-0.

According to Sportrac, if they were to release him in 2020 with a post June first designation, they would incur a $1.4 million dead cap hit and another $2.8 million in 2021 – a manageable hit to take, while saving them some $25 million for a guy they might not be entirely sold on.

Of course, that move would be predicated upon them having a successor in place and up to speed with the offense — something that would be made easier with a young quarterback in place and perhaps, one who had a year to ride the pine and absorb Kyle Shanahan’s system.

Obviously, anything could happen at this point. They could trade back, they could jump on Nick Bosa if he’s there at two, or if Arizona decides they need some pass rushing help and take Bosa first overall — Lynch and Shanahan might not be able to pass up on Murray.

It may sound farfetched — and maybe it is. After all, nobody is linking San Francisco to any of this draft class’ top quarterbacks.

Farfetched maybe, but it’s also not completely outside the realm of possibility. That’s the crazy thing about the NFL Draft — anything can happen and there are always stunners to be had.

Could the 49ers be gearing up to pull off a stunner this year?