Ever since the San Francisco 49ers traded up for the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, everyone’s been wondering who they’re targeting there.
Could it be a quarterback? Say, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who was impressive at his pro day? Trey Lance, the North Dakota State star whose pro day came before the Niners trade? What about Alabama’s Mac Jones, who likes that Niners offense?
It would be really fun if they want Florida tight end Kyle Pitts to pair with George Kittle.
In Todd McShay’s latest ESPN 2021 mock draft, he has an idea: it’s Jones, and that might make Niners fans mad who want Lance or Fields. Here’s what he said:
The Niners sacrificed first-rounders over the next two years and then some to skip the line. Which player did they do it for? Coach Kyle Shanahan surely has his guy in mind already, and it’s going to be a QB — teams don’t make these types of massive early deals for non-QBs. I’m hearing a lot of noise about Jones being the 49ers’ preference. He is accurate and reads the field so well, which helps assuage some mobility concerns. Plus, he excels when passing in the pocket or off play-action, two staples of Shanahan’s system. San Francisco paid a hefty price, but quarterback was in need of an upgrade. Now it just has to hope it selects the right one.
The point there is correct: they need to nail this pick or it’s a big problem. Is Jones really the guy? It feels like the buzz right now is over the other QBs.
Also, Falcons fans — he has Pitts going with the next pick! That’s fun.
