In case both quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick go bust this season in San Francisco, rookie quarterback Jeff Driskel is ready to step up.
The 49ers selected Driskel from Louisiana Tech in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He obviously wishes he were drafted sooner but is excited about his landing spot:
“As a competitor, you always want to be regarded highly, and you want to be the first one taken,” he said, per Matt Maiocco of csnbayarea.com. “And you think you should go before this guy or that guy. But at the end of the end of the day, I’m happy that I landed here. I think it’s a great fit. Can’t wait to get to work with these guys. I think it’s the perfect fit.”
Driskel’s attitude is refreshing, though we probably won’t see him in action during the upcoming regular season.
With new head coach in Chip Kelly in place, we’ll see soon enough if his offense is the “perfect fit” for either Gabbert or Kaepernick, who appear primed for a heated competition to earn the starting job.
Regarding Driskel, he arrives to San Francisco after spending three-plus seasons playing with the Florida Gators from 2011-2014. His standout year came in 2015 when he recorded 4,026 passing yards, and 27 touchdowns under center at Louisiana Tech.
Driskell was also impressive when it came to speed at the Combine. It is worth noting that he posted the quickest 40-yard dash (4.56 seconds) among all 18 quarterbacks who participated.
While Driskel sits back and soaks everything in this season, the main task at hand for the 49ers would be to improve on their lowly five wins from last year.
Whether we see an unhappy Kaepernick or more-than-willing Gabbert under center will be one of the storylines to follow in the upcoming months.