The San Francisco 49ers drafted Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He will be the future starter for the 49ers but he would be the No. 3 option heading into the season behind Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.
Despite all of that, Beathard has already been compared to New England Patriots quarterback and quite possibly the greatest of all time, Tom Brady. The comparison was done by none other than United States President Donald Trump.
It happened on January 26, 2016 when Trump was just a presidential candidate for the Republican Party. He was at a campaign event at the University of Iowa Field House when he proclaimed that Beathard is the second coming of Brady, a five-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots.
"We've got the next Tom Brady right over here, the quarterback, he's going to be the next Tom Brady. The next Tom Brady, come on. And I know Tom, and he's a great guy, I want to tell you," Trump said, via the Ceder Rapids Gazette.
After that comparison by Trump, Beathard put up a good senior year with Hawkeyes. He went 8-4 in 12 games for 1,874 yards and 17 touchdowns. It was a down season for the 23-year-old but he was still one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft.
According to former NFL quarterback and current coach Ryan Lindley, Beathard is the most mentally ready quarterback in this year's class. He told KNBR 1050's The Audible that Beathard has a high football IQ and he fits right in with the 49ers' plans.
"The biggest thing people undervalue with C.J. is he's a guy that is somewhat NFL ready from a mental standpoint. The offense he ran at Iowa was very similar to what a lot of teams run in the NFL. He's huddling, making MIKE calls, making MIKE points, his football IQ is off the charts," Lindley said.
The 49ers traded up to the third round to select Beathard. They had to give up their fourth and seventh round picks to the Minnesota Vikings to get him 103rd overall. However, it would be a lot of pressure on the 23-year-old QB to be compared to Brady, by the president of the United States.
Trump and Brady are known friends with the Patriots quarterback even giving him a lot of support during the campaign. Although a lot of people criticized the 39-year-old QB for his political views, he noted that he's known the POTUS for a long time and he was just supporting his friend.
Brady is not only the gold standard for many incoming quarterbacks. Many teams are always hoping that their late round quarterback pick will become the next Brady. The five-time Super Bowl champion is considered as the greatest draft steal of all time.
The Patriots selected Brady 199th overall out of Michigan in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He went on to lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl seven times, winning five. He is the greatest quarterback of all time and he still playing at a high level.
To be compared to Brady, Beathard is going to have a lot of pressure on him but the 49ers are happy with their selection. New 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan did not compare Beathard to Brady but to Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins.
"He processes the game so well. Tough as s***. Got a chance. He reminds me a lot of Kirk Cousins," Shanahan told Peter King of The MMQB.
Hoyer is no Brady but being compared to him is still a high praise. Hoyer and Beathard have similarities including size and high football IQs. They are also great signal-callers and they both won a lot of games in the Big Ten Conference.
