49ers coach Kyle Shanahan believes that quarterback Sam Darnold still can be a great NFL signal-caller.
In fact, Shanahan feels so strongly about Darnold that he compared him to franchise great Steve Young when speaking with Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“I mean, Steve Young took a while to get going, and he’s one of the best quarterbacks of all time,” Shanahan said. “I don’t like to compare anyone to Steve, ’cause of how good he is, but why can’t Sam be like that? He’s got that type of ability. He is that type of person. And I’m just pumped that we could get a talented guy like him here.”
In his five seasons, Darnold has completed 59.7% of his throws for 11,767 yards and 61 touchdowns to 51 interceptions, a far cry from Young. Darnold played for the Panthers last season and was part of a merry-go-round at quarterback that at one point featured Baker Mayfield. Now Darnold joins a crowded quarterback room in San Francisco featuring former No. 3 pick Trey Lance and Mr. Irrelevant-turned-very relevant, Brock Purdy.
Does Darnold even have a path to becoming San Francisco’s starter, short of injury to the guys in front of him? Time will tell, but Shanahan clearly believes Darnold has enough talent to produce at a high level. Whether that means he’s good enough to be the starting quarterback in Week 1 remains to be seen.
