Film breakdown: Jimmy Garoppolo has all the makings of a star

The San Francisco 49ers have to be pinching themselves.

The Jimmy Garoppolo experiment was expected to truly get underway in 2018. San Francisco sent a second-round pick to the New England Patriots at the trade deadline because they clearly thought Garoppolo had the potential to be a long-term starter, but the team attempted to temper expectations early. Head coach Kyle Shanahan even suggested his new quarterback might not get any playing time this season.

Instead, Garoppolo was moved into the starting lineup for the last three weeks and has reignited the 49ers in the process, leading them to three straight wins.

Garoppolo's stats are good (three touchdowns to two interceptions, 1,026 yards, 8.9 yards per attempt, 68.7 completion percentage), but the young pivot's tape has been even more impressive than his numbers suggest.

Garoppolo's first touchdown pass as a 49er - his second attempt after replacing C.J. Beathard late against the Seattle Seahawks - displayed a number of traits that likely had offensive wizard Shanahan salivating.

The quarterback's first read on this last-second red-zone play is the slant route to his right. Seattle is ready for this, however, dropping underneath and over the top of the route. Unfazed, Garoppolo quickly moves through his progressions, passing on a comeback route in the middle of the field and rolling out to his left as the pocket begins to collapse.

An ordinary young pivot - especially one who'd only been in this offensive system for less than a month - might have panicked and thrown a pass up for grabs. Not Garoppolo. He keeps his eyes downfield, smartly resets his base despite three incoming Seahawks, and places the ball away from the defender.

Pocket presence. Solid mechanics. Accuracy. Arm strength. It's all there.

But any quarterback can make one good play or have one good game. It's all about consistency, and Garoppolo has consistently made difficult plays look routine.

Here, a Chicago Bears defender blitzes between the center and the left guard, pressuring Garoppolo as soon as he reaches the top of his drop.

Garoppolo possesses an uncanny, almost Aaron Rodgers-like ability to throw from unconventional or imperfect positions. He can't step into the throw, but he still manages more than enough velocity to reach Trent Taylor over the middle of the field.

And not only does Garoppolo get enough zip on the throw despite a blizter in his face, he also recognizes the underneath coverage and adjusts the trajectory of the ball, showcasing impressive touch to negate the coverage on Taylor.

A key aspect of Shanahan's offensive system is the deep passing game, especially using play action. And Garoppolo already excels in this area.

The 49ers line up in a heavy formation (including a fullback) to sell the play action. Garoppolo drops back, fakes the hand-off, and scans downfield. San Francisco's pass protection doesn't hold up, but it doesn't matter. Garoppolo stays calm, readjusts his feet, and hits Marquise Goodwin on a deep crossing route.

Again, the calmness under pressure stands out. And this play is a great gain instead of merely a good one thanks to Garoppolo's standout ball placement. Despite having two defenders at his feet, the signal-caller hits Goodwin in stride, allowing the receiver to continue his momentum and pick up significant yards after the catch.

But Garoppolo doesn't need play action to take downfield shots. The common stigma of a backup coming from the Patriots' system is that they're more of a game-manager than a game-breaker, but that simply isn't the case with Garoppolo; in fact, he could be described as a gunslinger.

Garoppolo is working from an empty backfield on this play, with five players split out wide, including running back Carlos Hyde.

Shanahan enjoys using running backs in unconventional ways in the passing game to surprise defenses. Hyde runs a seam route here, while two of the receivers run go routes toward the outside shoulders of the two safeties, holding them in position and freeing up the middle for Hyde.

Meanwhile, Garoppolo displays outstanding toughness, standing tall in the pocket and waiting for the route to develop while a Falcons blitzer bares down on him. The quarterback takes a shot from the defender, but his lightning-quick release helps him get off the pass.

Tevin Coleman ran these kinds of routes in Shanahan's system with Atlanta, but Hyde isn't on Coleman's level as a receiver; he lets up and Garoppolo's nicely placed pass falls just out of his reach.

Still, it's an outstanding throw, regardless of the result.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The level of excitement surrounding Garoppolo has skyrocketed in a very short space of time, as we're still judging him from just a three-game sample (five, if you count his starts in New England).

But, in that time, Garoppolo has showcased nearly every trait you want from a franchise quarterback. His partnership with Shanahan is a match made in heaven, and San Francisco will likely do all it can in the offseason to improve the weapons around him.

Crowning Garoppolo as the NFL's next great quarterback is likely premature, but so far, the reality matches the hype.