The Quarterback that Jim Mora Jr. Thinks the 49ers Should Draft
Only two days until the 49ers pick a quarterback and we all stop speculating.
The past week, former 49ers defensive coordinator graciously gave his scouting reports for the 49ers' main options: Mac Jones, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Zach Wilson.
Here is Mora Jr.'s final ranking of those quarterbacks.
MORA Jr.: "I would put Zach Wilson right behind Trevor Lawrence. And then with Justin Fields and Mac Jones, it depends what you want. I can't distinguish between them being No. 3 and No. 4 unless I know what you want at quarterback, what style of game you want to play."
Q: If Justin Fields is the right fit for a team, what style of game are they playing?
MORA Jr.: "A little bit more movement. Going to utilize his legs. Going to run some zone read stuff, some RPO stuff, going to get him out on the edge. If you're going to take Mac Jones, you're going to be more traditional in the pocket, less movement things, throw some screens. I love them both, it just depends on what your flavor is. I love chocolate ice cream and I love strawberry ice cream. I'm happy either way. It's just a different flavor."
Q: Is it fair to say that as the 49ers offense is currently constructed, Mac Jones is a more seamless fit than Justin Fields?
MORA Jr.: "Probably. And he's probably a bit more polished and defined. But I'm a big fan of Kyle Shanahan. I feel like he can take Fields and make him seamless very quickly. And he's harder to prepare for if you're a defensive coordinator, because he can run. So every third down, if you want to play 2-man coverage (two deep safeties with man coverage underneath) and Fields is the quarterback, you have to have a pass rush that is designed to take care of him as well -- you have to spy him or run games that clog the running lanes. That's not easy for a coordinator. You have to play single-high-safety stuff, and if one of your corners is hurting, now you're leaving him isolated. If you're down in the red zone and they're going to run the zone read, you have to school your guys on how to take care of the quarterback. It becomes a mess. It's hard to be a defensive coordinator coming up with a scheme to defend a quarterback who can beat you with his legs."
Q: So you're saying you would go with Fields at No. 3 if you were the head coach.
MORA Jr.: "I probably would. But once again, I'm going to justify that by saying I don't have all the information that Kyle and these other teams have. So my decision could never be as informed as the decision that they're going to make, because I haven't sat in the draft rooms and listened to the scouts. But I have a special feeling about Fields. I believe that all these questions people are putting forth about him right now are putting a big ole chip on his shoulder. It's going to motivate him even more. At one point, people thought he was clearly the second-best quarterback in the draft. Now we're not so sure. I think that's going to bother him and motivate him. Can it motivate him enough to make him a Super Bowl champion? I don't know, but I know one thing -- the guy's a dang winner."
