Sam Darnold Gets Compared To San Francisco 49ers Legend

Sam Darnold has been impressing head coach Kyle Shanahan during training camp. The former second-overall pick signed with San Francisco in the offseason and is the likely backup to Brock Purdy. However, Shanahan thinks that Darnold could be something special. He compared him to 49ers legend Steve Young.

Sam Darnold Compared To Steve Young

Shanahan gave a glowing report on Darnold and the team as a whole.

“You look at the history of the league, the quarterback is not dependent on one person. You’ve gotta have good players around you, you’ve gotta be in a good situation, and that’s always tough…

I mean, Steve Young took a while to get going, and he’s one of the best quarterbacks of all time, I don’t like to compare anyone to Steve, cause of how good he is, but why can’t Sam be like that? He’s got that type of ability. He is that type of person. And I’m just pumped that we could get a talented guy like him here.”

There’s a reason Darnold was picked second overall by the Jets. He has the ability but hasn’t been able to put it all together. The fact that Shanahan has this type of confidence in his backup could bode well for Darnold.

Will Darnold Get A Chance To Play?

I believe there is a decent chance that we will see Darnold start at least one game. Purdy has a limited sample size in terms of games played. He could start to struggle and Shanahan has been known for having a short leash with players. Quarterback injuries have also plagued the team and if Purdy reaggrvated his elbow or injured something else, Darnold would likely be called upon. If he does, his head coach seems confident that he will be able to perform well.

Training camp hype is always fun. I didn’t have Sam Darnold getting compared to Steve Young on my offseason bingo card but this is the type of training camp hype that makes this league so much fun.