The 2016 NFL draft isn’t loaded with top quarterback prospects like in years past, but teams are always hungry for one. So hungry that the Los Angeles Rams made a bold move and traded up to the No. 1 overall pick in order to have their pick of whichever quarterback they choose.
But of all the teams looking for a quarterback, or at least that appear to possibly need one, the San Francisco 49ers are content with who they currently have under center.
According to Jason La Canfora at CBS Sports, new 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is more interested in trying to”resurrect” Blaine Gabbert’s career than any prospects available in the draft.
The 26-year-old was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with No. 10 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Missouri. After three seasons in Florida, Gabbert was traded to San Francisco.
During his two seasons in Northern California, Gabbert has appeared in nine games and started eight of them. But those eight starts all came at the end of the 2015-16 season when he took the starting job from Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers went 3-5 under Gabbert.
Kelly’s offense, which is typically quick and relies on having a quarterback that can run a lot, as he ran successfully at Oregon, may fit better for a quarterback with Kaepernick’s profile than Gabbert’s, however. During his five seasons as the starting quarterback for the Niners, Kaepernick averaged 366.8 rushing yards per season. Gabbert, meanwhile, has only amassed 376 rushing yards over his five-year career and averages only 75.2 rushing yards per season.
Multiple reports say the 49ers are still trying to trade Kaepernick. However, it seems like Kelly would still prefer to go with Gabbert, even if the numbers say his offense is better suited for Kaepernick. Coaches love fix-it projects, being the one who can push a player to fulfill his potential. But will this stall Kelly’s reboot of the 49ers before it even begins?
