Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers are, without a doubt, the team everyone is most interested in as the 2021 NFL Draft approaches. With the Jaguars set to take Trevor Lawrence first overall and the widespread assumption that Zach Wilson is going to the Jets, the Niners now control the draft with what they do with the No. 3 pick after trading up.
We know they are going to take a quarterback, but there has been significant debate about which of the three remaining top QBs will head to the Bay Area. Reports have indicated that Shanahan’s favorite QB is Alabama’s Mac Jones, but they’ve also gone to see Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. Whatever the case, it seems all but assured that a new starter is headed to San Francisco, which would push Jimmy Garoppolo out the door.
On Monday, Shanahan and GM John Lynch confirmed that they are looking for a new starting quarterback during a pre-Draft press conference.
Kyle Shanahan: "We could have sat there at 12, and waited which one came to us, if one did. … But we made a decision that we felt we needed to get a starting QB. We wanted to dicatate it. We'll get the one that we feel is best for us."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 26, 2021
Naturally, that led to a question about Jimmy G’s future and whether he’d be traded over the course of this weekend’s Draft, and Shanahan decided to take the route of nihilism with his answer.
Will Jimmy Garoppolo be on the 49ers roster on Sunday?
Kyle Shanahan: "I can't guarantee that anybody in the world will be alive Sunday so I can't guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday" pic.twitter.com/IlIM59GSpe
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) April 26, 2021
Well, that is certainly one way to avoid answering a question about trade rumors. Hopefully Jimmy G survives the weekend, whether that’s in San Francisco or being dealt elsewhere, and by Thursday night we will finally learn who Shanahan and Lynch settled on with the third pick. Go Niners, eat at Arby’s.
