Former NFL Scout Grades 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo
San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo is one of the harder players to evaluate.
That is because some of his strongest attributes he brings to the table as a quarterback are the things that are unseen. His intangibles are off the charts, which is probably why Bill Belichick drafted him in New England. Garoppolo has unflappable confidence and he carries himself with a lot of charisma, polish and class. His million dollar smile says it all.
At first glance on game film against three playoff-caliber teams, Garoppolo did not set the world on fire. He was inconsistent at all three route levels (short, medium and deep). However, he still managed to win two out of the three.
The NFL is a bottom-line business and the man affectionately known as "Jimmy G" has led the 49ers to two NFC Championships and one Super Bowl appearance in three years, while going 31-15.
Love him or hate him, those are the results he has manifested.
That is what is meant by intangibles, and the 49ers have shown to be responsive to who Garoppolo is as a man AND as a leader.
Further proof is found in how clutch he has been for San Francisco when the chips are up.
When Garoppolo is in there, the offense operates with a calm, but urgent tempo, which could be what drew 49ers' coach Kyle Shanahan to him in the first place.
Shanahan's offense is predicated on ball control and quick timing routes to the short to intermediate route levels. This is something Garoppolo excels at doing some of the time, and he struggles when he holds the ball too long.
Garoppolo proved his weight in gold on third down and at the intermediate route levels in this three-game study. Garoppolo was 20/40 converting third downs and he completed 67% (21/31) of his passes at the intermediate route level.
Garoppolo was bad at the deep route level, completing 1/5.
#10 Jimmy Garoppolo 6-foot-2, 225 pounds
2021 game film reviewed: (9/26) GB, (12/12) CIN and (1/6) DAL
Grade: B - (good player, but not elite; he's good enough to win with)
Scouting Report:
Efficient clutch game-manager who is capable of making quick decisions and excels at the intermediate route level. Polished mechanics and play-action fake. Sets up shop and shows he is able to make quick hitting decisions with the football. However, struggles when he overthinks it. Can roll out to either side, but has limited mobility outside of the pocket. He is at his best when he stays true to the play design and the timing. Good arm strength to get some zip on passes. However, showed inconsistent ball placement and did not always put the receiver in the best position to get yardage after the catch. Tendency for balls to sail high. Was not good deep (overthrew and under-threw). Ball protection leaves a lot to be desired. Defenses put their hands on the ball eight times in these three games. Can make bad decisions under heavy pass rush. Tends to take sacks opposed to throwing the ball away. Put together three game-defining drives in all three games (two at the end of games, and one at the beginning of the DAL game in a hostile environment). Solid QB.
When compared to his peers around the league in 2021, Garoppolo was not great and he was not bad. According to teamrankings.com, Garoppolo ranked No. 15 in the league, completing 66.8% of his passes.
That perfectly encapsulates Garoppolo. He is somewhere in the middle of the pack, and that was another reason he was difficult to evaluate, because the same thing he did well one time, was not done well another time.
ESPN ranked him No. 13 with a QBR (53.3). This is defined as, "Adjusted total quarterback rating, which values the quarterback on all types of plays on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced." To further put this into perspective, Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow ranked No. 12 and Oakland QB Derek Carr ranked No 14.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) rated Garoppolo as the No. 14 QB. To add perspective, PFF rated new Indianapolis QB, Matt Ryan was No. 13 and Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes came in at No. 15.
By those two accounts, and my independent study, Garoppolo may not be Joe Montana, but at the same time, he is pretty darn good.
The numbers do not lie, and neither do the results.
