By Connor Barry
There were plenty of storylines surrounding the San Francisco 49ers’ home opener back in September. Chip Kelly’s first game as the Niners head coach, the Los Angeles Rams’ first regular season game in over twenty years, and Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem. When it was all said and done however, it was the 49ers coming on top with a blowout 28-0 with Blaine Gabbert under center. It looked like the 49ers were back to their 2012 form that night, but the following five games after have said otherwise. Following a fourth straight loss with Gabbert under center, Chip Kelly named Colin Kaepernick the starting Quarterback for the team’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Kaepernick struggled throwing for 160 yards and a completion percentage under 50%. To me, Kaepernick hasn’t been the same since the Niners made two consecutive NFC Championship appearances just three years ago. Although still a great threat on the ground, Kaepernick just doesn’t have the ability to beat defenses with his arm. With the spread offense that Chip Kelly has run since coaching at Oregon, its difficult to find a Quarterback with the ability to run Kelly’s style of offense with ease. With an aging Michael Vick and party crazed Johnny Manziel being leading candidates in the free agency pool, the Niners should definitely look into the upcoming draft class of Quarterbacks and let me tell you. There are some great Quarterbacks that would be perfect fits for Kelly’s offense. Outside of Lamar Jackson, the upcoming NFL Draft will see what I believe is the most dynamic collection of Quarterbacks that are draft elgible. With DeForest Buckner being the Niners’ previous First Round Pick, Myles Garrett isn’t much of a need, giving Chip Kelly the opportunity to pick up DeShone Kizer or DeShaun Watson. In my opinion, DeShaun Watson is the better option for San Francisco. He’s a precise passer along with a very dangerous ability to beat defenses with his feet. Watson I believe can go in and start right away just like he did in college. Another thing Watson has on Kizer is that he is a proven winner. Despite falling to Alabama in the National Championship Game last year, Watson led the Tigers to scoring an overwhelming 40 points only to fall short of Derrick Henry and the Crimson Tide. If it were up to me, The Niners let Kaepernick roam in free agency this March and let Blaine Gabbert and Watson battle it out for the starting job in 2017.