Will the 49ers Draft a Quarterback with a Day 3 Pick this Year?

Don't be surprised if 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan falls in love with Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (QB09) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Technically, the 49ers don't need another quarterback, but they just might draft one anyway.

The 49ers currently have Brock Purdy, Mac Jones and Tanner Mordecai. That's a solid trio. Jones in particular is a high-level backup who could win games with the 49ers if he were to start. And Mordecai is a talented player who spent last season on the practice squad as an undrafted free-agent rookie.

The 49ers could promote Mordecai to the 53-man roster and roll with him as the third-string quarterback. Or, they could keep him on the practice squad for now and draft a quarterback to compete for the third-string job.

Why not create competition? The 49ers don't have nearly enough of it in their culture.

They own 11 picks in the upcoming draft. They probably wouldn't take a quarterback in the first three rounds because they desperately need to pick multiple Day 1 starters on defense. But they could take a quarterback after Round 3.

Don't be surprised if 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan falls in love with Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord is similar to current 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones in the sense that neither player is particularly mobile. But both quarterbacks have good arms and are taylor-made to throw play-action passes in Kyle Shanahan's offensive system.

McCord actually has a stronger arm than Jones and Purdy, and his deep-ball accuracy is outstanding. He would be a terrific low-risk, high-reward draft pick in Round 4 or 5.