NFC Notes: 49ers, Sam Darnold, Rams, Seahawks, Jamal Adams

49ers

• 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan had high praise of Sam Darnold‘s delivery as a passer and also thinks Jimmy Garoppolo was one of the league’s best throwers as well: “Sam’s an unbelievable thrower. He was born to do that. I think Jimmy’s one of the best throwers on the planet, the way he can do it. I don’t think he gets enough credit for that,” per David Lombardi. 
• Shanahan considers Darnold to be a “top pick” in the NFL Draft for them and thinks he wasn’t in a good situation with the Jets or Panthers: “I truly see Sam talent-wise as a top pick in the draft, just like he was. You watch his whole career and there’s no reason to think differently. He hasn’t been in the best situations, so we’re glad to have him here. And I’m so glad he wanted to come here. He could’ve gone to a lot of different situations and probably made a lot more money.” (Lombardi)
• Shanahan feels they have three capable quarterbacks in Brock Purdy, Trey Lance, and Darnold: “I do believe we have three quarterbacks talent-wise who are all capable of being franchise-like quarterbacks. But that’s just capable … Brock’s done that in his eight. And we have two other guys on our roster who we strongly believe can do that also.” (Lombardi)

Rams

Rams DT Aaron Donald said it was a strange experience to miss time last season due to an ankle injury. He is now fully recovered and ready to play again. 

“It was different,” said Donald, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. “But I’m at 100% now, so that’s all that matters. Feeling good, able to do everything I need to do to get myself to where I need to be.”

Donald considered retirement during Los Angeles’ Super Bowl in 2021. This time around, however, the veteran defensive tackle didn’t want to end his career on a bad note. 

“Honestly, you never want to end your career the way how it was last year,” said Donald. “So it never really crossed my mind. So I was just trying to do everything I can to get myself healthy to be here today.”

When asked about the Rams moving on from several players this offseason, Donald said he can’t control roster decisions and is focused on being a leader for the younger players going forward. 

“I can’t control that,” Donald said. “Obviously, I made a commitment to this organization and do everything I can to do my part. Obviously, it is different than what we’ve seen in the past few years, but a lot of young guys will have to step up. I have to be a huge part to help us have success. It’s going to be a long journey, but you just got to stay focused on what you need to focus on and just continue to work.”

Seahawks

When appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, GM John Schneider said S Jamal Adams (quad) is doing well but wasn’t sure of his timeline of recovery. 

“He’s doing well. The company answer is that we don’t know exactly the timeline. Very bad injury, very unfortunate for Jamal,” Schneider said. “He’s had two years now where he’s been banged up. We want to be really careful with his progression, so training camp I’m just not sure. We’ll see where he is when he comes in for the OTAs.”