SANTA CLARA — A former Cal quarterback suited up for the 49ers on Wednesday, a year after they pursued a tad more heralded one.
It was Chase Garbers, not Aaron Rodgers, who slung passes around Levi’s Stadium during an hour-long workout for NFL draft prospects with local ties, either by virtue of their hometowns, high schools or colleges.
Afterward, Garbers appreciated not only the opportunity to showcase his worth but for the sage advice from 49ers general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Just keep chasing your dream,” Garbers said was their message to those who auditioned. “This is a local pro day, so a lot of guys have come out of this and made teams, made rosters. They were very adamant about pursuing the dream.”
Video: Quarterback Chase Garbers completes a pass to one-time Cal teammate Makai Polk at today’s #49ers pro day for local #NFLDraft prospects pic.twitter.com/z4G2fdm8aR
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) April 13, 2022
Garbers was one of three quarterbacks at what’s annually a mix of a casting call and a community-service deed. The others were San Jose State product Nick Starkel and former Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello, who was on The Farm for three years before finishing his college career in 2000 at Mississippi State.
Greeting them with handshakes before the workout was Brian Griese, the 49ers’ new quarterbacks coach who formerly worked as an ESPN analyst after his NFL playing career.
“First impression: he’s a great coach,” Garbers said. “I’ve heard about how he played in the NFL and he’s a great guy. Obviously he’s played the position so he knows what to expect from the quarterbacks, and I had a really fun day working with him.”
Garbers opted not to return for his final year of eligibility at Cal, after playing four years and exiting as last season’s team MVP. He threw for the seventh-most yards in Cal history (6,582) and tallied the most rushing yards by a quarterback (1,174).
This draft’s quarterback crop is not as heralded as usual, and Garbers does not know where he’ll land among it.
“Right now, it’s up in the air. It’s a lot of unknown in this process,” Garbers said. “I’ve been interviewing with teams so it’s been an interesting process and we’ll see what happens at the end of April.”
The 49ers have only drafted one quarterback out of Cal, and that came in their first year in the NFL: Bob Celeri, a 1950 10th-round pick. Last April, the 49ers inquired with the Green Bay Packers about trading for Aaron Rodgers, whom the 49ers passed on with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft.
The 49ers’ currently have three quarterbacks on the roster: 2021 top pick Trey Lance, recently re-signed backup Nate Sudfeld and incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, whose trade market is on hold because of February shoulder surgery.
“It’s every kid’s dream to come out and play in the NFL, so being here is a huge opportunity,” Starkel said. “They can turn on the tape and see I can throw it and have accuracy, but I want them to know me as a person, not just a player. That’s the biggest thing teams and coaches would get out of this, just the kind of guy that I am.”
Starkel reminded Shanahan that, during the 2020 season, the 49ers’ coach ran a Spartans’ team meeting over Zoom, complete with a PowerPoint presentation. “It was a really fun time, so I reminded him of that and we had a laugh about it,” said Starkel, who led the Spartans the past two seasons after transferring from Arkansas and, before that, Texas A&M.
DUO TO WATCH: Wide receiver Donald Stewart and cornerback Obi Eboh talked after practice with both Shanahan and Lynch. Yes, they play positions in which the 49ers are always searching for depth, but they also are familiar to the 49ers’ staff from playing at Stanford before transferring in 2020 to Wake Forest and UCLA, respectively.
“They’re looking for tough, smart, dependable guys and they like what we’ve put on tape the past couple of years, they liked what we showed today,” Stewart said. “Today was a great experience.”
Added Eboh: “At all these pro days, they want to see us move, get a feel for us, give us a chance to get around their staff and see how we receive coaching.”
Both Stewart (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and Eboh (6-2, 195) have the physical traits and mindset that would translate well to the NFL.
Adam Peters, the 49ers’ assistant general manager, approached Eboh also afterward to compliment his day. “The NFL is a numbers game, so there’s a lot of opportunities for defensive backs, and you’ve got to cover good wide receivers like Donald, so there’s always an opportunity if you do your job efficiently.”
Donald previously worked out for the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers, while Eboh auditioned with the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. Both players raved about how well organized the 49ers’ session was, including warm-ups. This was the 49ers’ first local pro day inside Levi’s Stadium rather than on the neighboring training fields.
POLK SHINES: Arguably the marquee player on the field was Makai Polk, a 6-foot-3 Cal transfer who set Mississippi State receiving records last season. Even Donald noted Polk’s “crisp” routes.
“I feel really good and am glad to be out here, back home in the Bay Area to show what I can do in front of these coaches,” said Polk, an El Cerrito High product.
Polk totaled three touchdowns among 34 receptions at Cal from 2019-20, then erupted for 105 receptions, 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns at Mississippi State under coach Mike Leach.
“He’s an athletic freak,” Garbers said of Polk. “We knew that when he first came to Cal as a 17-year old and playing for us. He’s a a real special talent. He’s long, can make catches, has great speed. It was great to throw to him; it’s been a while.”
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
— Of the six running backs who worked out, Oakland products Marcel Dancy (Cal) and Jay McDonald (Tarletone State) showed speed from the 5-foot-10 and 5-9 frames. Palo Alto’s Cyrus Habibi-Likio impressed in Raheem Mostert’s old No. 31 jersey; Habibi-Likio (6-1, 210) played at Oregon before transferring to Boise State.
— Defensive ends that stood out were Fresno State’s Kwami Jones and Cal’s Kuony Deng and Marqez Bimage.
— Stanford also was represented by defensive lineman Dalyn Wade-Perry and Tucker Fisk, who was listed as a tight end but also played defensive line for the Cardinal.
— New special teams coordinator Brian Schneider was on hand and auditioned punters Will Hart (San Jose State) and Ryan Wright (Tulane; San Ramon hometown).
Source: www.mercurynews.com