49ers take C.J. Beathard in third round, same as Joe Montana back in 1979.
Grandson of ex-NFL exec impresses team, but will have to wait
SANTA CLARA — The last time the 49ers came off a 2-14 season and used a third-round draft pick on a quarterback, they selected Joe Montana in 1979.
C.J. Beathard, good luck following that gold standard.
The 49ers made a late trade Friday night into the No. 104 spot overall and drafted Beathard, an Iowa product and the grandson of former NFL executive Bobby Beathard.
Coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers’ perceived offensive savior, strongly cautioned about Beathard’s immediate capability. Shanahan left no doubt that Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley, last month’s free agency additions, are 1-2 on a revamped unit that last season struggled to a 2-14 record behind Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert.
Any chance Beathard pushes for the starting job as a rookie?
“No, I don’t look at it at all like that,” Shanahan answered. “We’re bringing him in here to develop him and give him a chance.
“Brian is our starting quarterback, Matt Barkley is our second and I look at him to come in and be our third, with us only having three on the roster.”
Five quarterbacks went in the draft before the 49ers got a call from the Minnesota Vikings proposing a trade. To move up five spots, the 49ers swapped their fourth-round selection (No. 109 overall) and a seventh-round pick (No. 219).
“Now that the 49ers believe in me, I’m going to give it my everything,” Beathard, (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) said on a media conference call. “They won’t regret it.”
General manager John Lynch said the 49ers “grew to appreciate” Beathard, and even though neither Lynch nor Shanahan met with him through the predraft process or even at the scouting combine, quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello served as the 49ers’ contact.
Added Shanahan: “By no means did we come into this draft thinking, ‘Hey, we’re going to get a guy to compete with Brian.’ We’re just trying to add people to our roster.”
Mitchell Trubisky (No. 1 overall, Chicago Bears), Patrick Mahomes (No. 10, Kansas City Chiefs) and Deshaun Watson (No. 12, Houston Texans) went in Thursday’s first round. Friday saw DeShone Kizer (No. 52, second round; Cleveland Browns) and Cal product Davis Webb (No. 87, third round; New York Giants) go before Beathard surfaced on the 49ers’ radar and roster.
“C.J. Beathard in the third round? Guess no one cares about arm strength,” Bleacher Report draft analyst Matt Miller tweeted.
So why Beathard, who had a 58.1 career completion percentage at Iowa with 40 touchdowns and 19 interceptions?
Shanahan raved about Beathard being fearless, extremely intelligent, diligent, accurate, a football junkie and a two-year starter in a pro-style system. Shanahan also noted Beathard’s abundance of wins.
“He can process and play the game very fast in the pocket, and that gives you a chance to play in the league,” Shanahan said. “By no means does that mean he’s ready to do that. But that’s a great guy you have a chance with. Just throw him in the battle with all these other guys.”
Shanahan noted that Beathard comes from a football family. His grandfather served as general manager in Washington (1978-88) and San Diego (1990-200). “He told me to stay positive and you never know what’s going to happen on draft day,” C.J. Beathard said of his grandfather.
After taking cornerback n Ahkello Witherspoon with the second pick of the third round (No. 66 overall), the 49ers vacated the No. 67 slot and accepted the New Orleans Saints’ forward-thinking trade offer. The 49ers gained the Saints’ 2018 second-round pick, plus a seventh-round pick Saturday (No. 211).