Baalke Blocked 49ers From Drafting Dak Prescott

This probably didn’t help Trent Baalke‘s case in San Francisco. Apparently, Chip Kelly and others within the organization wanted to draft Dak Prescott last spring but Baalke didn’t pull the trigger, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ultimately, that was one of the final straws for Baalke and he was fired after a dreadful 2-14 season.

Dak Prescott/49ersOf course, it was the Cowboys who drafted Prescott in the fourth round and he has put together a jaw-dropping rookie campaign. Through 17 weeks of regular season action, Prescott appears to be the best QB in his class, ahead of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz, and first round pick Paxton Lynch. Pro Football Focus has Prescott ranked as the 12th best QB in the NFL for the 2016 season, ahead of notables like Ryan Tannehill, Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, and Philip Rivers. Colin Kaepernick, meanwhile, earned a poor overall grade of 61.9, placing him 27th amongst qualified QBs. After watching Prescott throw for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns against just four interceptions, 49ers ownership couldn’t help but wonder how different things would have been if Baalke was on board with the Mississippi St. product.

The 49ers had multiple opportunities to grab Prescott, but instead they are entering the offseason with no clear answer at the position. Blaine Gabbert and Kaepernick fizzled this year and the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft might not help their quarterback dilemma considering the dearth of quality QBs. UNC’s Mitch Trubisky is widely considered to be the best signal caller in this year’s unimpressive crop.

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