The 49ers have 11 picks in the 2024 draft. One of them should be used on a quarterback.
It appears the 49ers have a long-term answer at quarterback. Brock Purdy acquitted himself well enough in his first full season to provide optimism that he can lead San Francisco to a championship. Filling out the rest of the quarterback room remains an offseason box San Francisco needs to check — Purdy is the only QB under contract for 2024 — and they should do that in part via the draft.
There’s no need to go overboard and use an early pick on the position, but it might behoove the 49ers to identify a signal caller they like in the middle rounds to work in at least as a third QB.
Part of that is to act as an insurance policy in case something gets sideways with Purdy. The 49ers are confident in him as their franchise QB, but a lot can change in a year when he’s up for an extension, or two years when his rookie contract runs out.
The bigger reason to start developing a young QB behind Purdy though is for the event where San Francisco’s optimism is rewarded and Purdy commands a high-priced extension.
In that event the 49ers will need to thread the needle between insulating themselves from the dreaded QB injury and keeping the overall cost of the rest of the QB room down.
A veteran backup can come cheap, but they’d likely want a backup they’re comfortable can step in and win games if Purdy is unavailable for any amount of time. It’s harder to find those players for cheap.
That’s where a 2024 rookie comes in.
Purdy is still counting for just $1,004,235 against the cap this year — a pittance in terms of QB cost. San Francisco can afford to pay for a pricier QB2 this year if they choose. When Purdy’s contract inflates into the $30 million or $40 million range as early as next offseason, paying backups becomes harder.
A 2024 draft pick would get a chance to develop in his first year before becoming the team’s inexpensive backup in 2025 when Purdy’s cost could potentially explode.
With 11 picks in this year’s draft there’ll be plenty of opportunities for the 49ers to maneuver around the board to snag the QB they believe can best fit the role they need him to fill. When in the draft that is will depend on how the board shakes out. Anything outside the first round or two should be on the table.
QB may not atop the 49ers’ list of needs this year, but backup QB is too important of a position to ignore. Adding one via the draft gives San Francisco a real opportunity to continue having a strong depth chart, even when their typically cheap QB room gets expensive.
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