Ideal QB in Shanahan's 49ers offense has two things, per Simms

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Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense is complicated and intricate, so having a quarterback with a good grasp on it is imperative.

So what ultimately does a quarterback need to do in order to be successful in an aggressive, motion-heavy system like Shanahan's?

“Two things that come out for me with the Shanahan system: A guy who’s been able to read and recognize and pull the trigger as well as throwing the ball at an instance,” NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms said.

Simms also mentioned athleticism as a crucial part of handling Shanahan’s scheme at QB.

“Not that it has to be crazy athleticism, because we’ve seen, you know, Kyle with Kirk Cousins and those guys can still move the ball, just a guy that can move the pocket, the bootlegs, the half play-action boot fakes where they set up and do those things,” Simms added.

 

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For Jimmy Garoppolo, his athletic talent doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but he definitely gets the job done and some of the hate on him is exaggerated. Still, for any possible draftee options, it might be an even better fit. 

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is the talk of the college football season so far. He also had the 49ers’ attention with scouts taking a look at him in person. And former BYU standout and San Francisco legend himself Steve Young admitted young Wilson would be able to thrive in that intense offense.

Wilson appears to be the type of guy who will just get better as he goes. 

RELATED: Shanahan says he expects Garoppolo back with 49ers in 2021

This season, BYU is 8-0 with Wilson tallying 2,512 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. 

It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. The 49ers reportedly have their eyes on quarterbacks in the 2021 draft and our own Josh Schrock would put money on him as a guy that has “Shanahan written all over him.”

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