Getty George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan held his predraft press conference on Monday which ended up going viral via Twitter.
Shanahan was asked during the presser if Jimmy Garoppolo would be on the roster Sunday at the conclusion of the draft.
“I can’t guarantee that anybody will be alive Sunday,” Shanahan responded, “so I can’t guarantee who will be on our roster on Sunday. So that goes for all of us.”
@SportsCenter I’ll call you on Sunday to let you know I’m alive coach
Once his dark comment went viral, star tight end George Kittle was quick to join the fun, “I’ll call you Sunday to let you know I’m alive coach.”
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The Niners are Drafting Garoppolo’s Replacement
The 49ers traded up to the No. 3 slot to draft a top rookie quarterback that will eventually take over Garoppolo’s starting job.
The problem with Garoppolo, who will turn 30 next season, has struggled to stay healthy over in his four years in the Bay Area, missing a total of 33 games.
Shanahan made it clear that is the reason San Francisco can’t fully commit to him as their starter.
“The biggest thing with Jimmy is his injuries. It’s been very tough for us when he’s been hurt, and it’s happened two out of these three years,” Shanahan said.
When Jimmy G. is healthy and available to start, the Niners’ winning percentage jumps to 73 percent and without him, the team has just a 6-24 record. Of course, winning is everything, but being healthy and on the roster on game day is more important.
Just last season, Garoppolo suffered two high-ankle sprains which ultimately limited him to playing in only six games last year, leaving him useless.
Here’s a look at Garoppolo’s injury track record over the years:
2016: AC Joint Sprain Week 2
2017: Healthy
2018: ACL Week 3
2019: Healthy
2020: High Ankle Sprain Week 2
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The Niners Have Decided on Their No. 3 Pick
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed on SportsCenter that the 49ers have wrapped up their meetings and have decided who they will be taking with the No. 3 overall pick:
“I’m told the work is done in Santa Clara. They have wrapped up their draft meetings officially. They’re ready to make this pick, but it’s in the hands of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. They’re probably not telling anybody. Nobody in that building knows and doesn’t expect to know until Thursday. But the coaches broke down Mac Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance this week together in a neutral process. I’m told they’ve kept an open mind with Justin Fields and Trey Lance winning them over. They had a good process, but there’s still a decent amount of buzz league-wide about Mac Jones.”
Trevor Lawrence is set to go at No. 1 overall to the Jaguars followed by Zach Wilson to the Jets. Adam Schefter reported that a total of five QBs are set to go in the top 10. We’ll find out what happens this Thursday.
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