Shanahan comfortable drafting 5 different QBs with No. 3 pick
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday there are five quarterback prospects he would gladly select with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
"After going through this, I feel good about five guys at three," he told reporters.
He added: "We probably started with one in mind, but that one's gotten better since and so have all the other candidates."
The 49ers went into the offseason slated to pick 12th but traded that selection along with two future first-rounders to move up nine spots.
Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and BYU's Zach Wilson are expected to fly off the board with the top two picks. Presumably, the 49ers will choose between Alabama's Mac Jones, North Dakota State's Trey Lance, and Ohio State's Justin Fields at No. 3.
Shanahan is reportedly keen on Jones but kept his cards close to the vest when asked what he admires about his game in particular.
"I like that him, along with four other guys, I think is capable of being our starting NFL quarterback and capable of winning with," he said. "I think there's five guys there."
Shanahan led the 49ers to Super Bowl LIV and helped the Atlanta Falcons reach Super Bowl LI, and he's been hailed as an offensive wizard. General manager John Lynch will run the draft for San Francisco, though he said he'll defer to Shanahan about quarterback decisions.
"Do we know exactly who we want? Maybe. Probably. But maybe not," Shanahan said. "I don't feel like we need to say that. That's not just for our case, a lot of stuff happens between now and the draft and you don't want the whole league knowing what you're set on four days before the draft."
It remains to be seen whether the 49ers' next quarterback will spend time developing behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Shanahan was asked if he could guarantee Garoppolo - whose injury history motivated the 49ers to seek his replacement - will be on the roster by the end of the draft.
"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," he said.