Why Chris Simms missed mark by ranking Jimmy Garoppolo No. 20 NFL QB

Jimmy Garoppolo's first full season as a starter saw him help lead the 49ers to the doorstep of Super Bowl glory. If not for a defensive collapse and a later overthrow of a wide-open Emmanuel Sanders, Garoppolo would have finished the season 16-3 and had a Super Bowl ring to boot.

Instead, the 49ers were left hanging their heads after the Kansas City Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points to win Super Bowl LIV. The offseason talk since has focused on how good Garoppolo really is and whether or not he's the guy to lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl victory.

NBC Sports' Chris Simms has been ranking his top 40 quarterbacks for the upcoming season and he has a number of questions about Garoppolo, who he has ranked at No. 20 right behind Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

"Jimmy Garoppolo, where do I start?" Simms said on "The Chris Simms Unbuttoned" podcast. "I think I'm going to start with the things I like. First off, incredible quick-release, love his ability to throw accurate throws with cock-eyed feet and feet all over the place in the thrash of the pocket. I mean, he's really good at that. He really is.

"There are some times -- there's some head-scratching decision-making," Simms continued. "There's a lack of big-time power throws. If you watch Garopporlo and the 49ers, a lot of the throws are right down in the middle of the field, where I want to go."

Garoppolo put up good numbers in his first full season as the 49ers starter. He threw for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns while being the NFL's most accurate deep passer last season. But Garoppolo also threw 13 interceptions and was helped out tremendously by the way coach Kyle Shanahan called games.

Simms has a number of worries about Garoppolo's game and ceiling, including his lack of athleticism.

"The number one detractor, for me, is not a phenomenal athlete," Simms said. "He's not going to run for you and get first downs. He's a below-average down-the-field thrower or power thrower. That's what bothers me.

"As quick as his release is, and how he doesn't have to step into throws to make throws, when it comes time for, 'Hey, the pocket's clean, and there's a 20-yard out-route, and I need you to step on the pedal a little bit,' man, the ball can flutter, it can not get there, it gets batted down. And it's a lot of times because he throws the ball flat-footed instead of getting his feel underneath him or getting a hitch-step involved.

"Those are some of the problems that lead to his negative plays on the field."

Simms also believes the fact that the 49ers have openly discussed their potential pursuit of Tom Brady shows the organization isn't sold on him.

"Listen, the 49ers obviously ... obviously ... a little something there as far as they didn't love Jimmy Garoppolo's play from last year, or they wouldn't have flirted with the Tom Brady conversation," Simms said. "John Lynch has come out and said that they thought about it. Well, they thought about it because they thought, I would think, that Brady is better than Jimmy Garoppolo, at this point. ... I think that speaks volumes in itself, the fact that they were thinking about that."

While Garoppolo has a few warts to his game and his future as a franchise signal-caller is murky, Simms did not ignore the quarterback's undeniable clutch gene.

"I do think there's a clutch factor that Garoppolo has that I can honestly sit here and say too is better than some of the guys that we have just behind him. I don't think he's rattled by any situation, and I don't think he's even rattled by the Super Bowl loss last year."

Garoppolo and the 49ers must work to elevate his game in 2020 if they are to repeat their success from 2019.

There's no doubt Shanahan has pinpointed the strengths and weakness in Garoppolo's game and surrounded him with players who can accentuate those talents.

Last season, Garoppolo ranked third-lowest in Average Intended Air Yards (6.5) and second-lowest in Air Yards to the Sticks (minus-2.5). But Garoppolo's receiver's led the NFL in average yards after the catch at 6.6. Also appearing on these lists with Garoppolo were Carr, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Brees, Joe Flacco and Marcus Mariota.

While Brees' credentials are well known, the rest of the quarterbacks on the list aren't exactly a murderer's row of Pro Bowl talents.

Despite that, Garoppolo was one of the most efficient red-zone quarterbacks in the NFL, tallying a 62.5 completion percentage on throws inside the 10-yard line and 16 touchdowns on those passes, which matched Lamar Jackson for the best in the NFL and accounted for 59 percent of Garoppolo's touchdowns for the season.

Garoppolo also saw the fourth-lowest pressure among NFL quarterbacks, but still threw 13 interceptions and had defenses drop another eight picks.

Simms has a point about the lack of dynamic athleticism and Garoppolo's tendency to float balls. The turnovers are troubling. But once Garoppolo got his feet underneath him after a year spent rehabbing his torn ACL, his play improved. He won shootouts against Brees in New Orleans and against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. He operated the 49ers' offense well and should be even better in 2020.

There is no doubt he has areas to address and clean up. The 49ers expect him to do as much.

But Simms ranking him with Baker Mayfield coming off a down sophomore season and Carr is harsh by any standard and completely misses the mark on how important Garoppolo is to the 49ers' success.

[RELATED: Why Jimmy G deserves more respect after Super Bowl run]

Garoppolo has been a lightning rod for controversy and a piñata for talking heads to bash all offseason. Such is life when you're the starting quarterback of a team primed for Super Bowl contention.

While he's become a polarizing topic, Garoppolo shouldn't be viewed as either a surefire Super Bowl quarterback or a system QB who should be discarded. He falls squarely in the middle. His stats show a good NFL quarterback who has the opportunity to be great if he irons out some of his flaws and continues to improve. 

I ranked Garoppolo at No. 12, right in a cluster of quarterbacks who have the ability to win a Super Bowl if the proper talent is provided around them. He might not be a quarterback who can win a Super Bowl on his own, but his flaws aren't as big as Simms believes.