Shanahan declares 49ers QB Darnold is ‘unbelievable thrower’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN JOSE — There might be a lot of factors contributing to Sam Darnold moving onto his third team in his short NFL career, but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Darnold’s arm talent is not one of them.
At the suggestion Darnold has a unique ability to throw the football, Shanahan said he fully agrees.
“I don’t think that’s a big controversial statement, Sam is an unbelievable thrower,” Shanahan said while at the Dwight Clark Legacy event at the California Theater Wednesday night. “He was born to do that.”
Shanahan went on to add that now-Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is in the same category as Darnold in regard to throwing ability. But of course, that’s not all you need to be a successful quarterback in the league.
“There are only a few people on this planet who can throw at the level that you need to throw at to succeed in this league,” Shanahan said. “Sam is one of those guys who can throw like that. That’s why Jimmy was a second-round draft pick coming from Eastern Illinois, because he was such a gifted thrower. And then it’s how do you play after that.”
The head coach detailed that being a talented passer is one element that can help a quarterback succeed in the league along with athlete ability. But then, it’s how they are able to use those skills that translate into winning games in the NFL.
Darnold saw an incredible amount of success while under center at USC completing 549 of his 846 attempts and 57 touchdowns and 22 interceptions over his two-season stretch. As a result, the Southern California native was selected by the New York Jets as the No. 3 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
“He hasn’t been in the best situations, so that’s why I’m glad to have him here and glad that he wanted to come here,” Shanahan said. “He could have gone to a lot of other situations and probably made a lot more money because Sam is at…
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