C.J. Beathard didn’t have to wait until Day 3 after all.

The former Iowa quarterback, who was rumored to be rising up draft boards, was indeed picked higher than originally projected.

The San Francisco 49ers traded up to draft former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard with the No. 104 overall pick at the end of the third round.

Beathard’s best season in Iowa City came in 2015 when he led the Hawkeyes to their first Rose Bowl in a quarter century. He earned second-team All-B1G honors after leading Iowa to its first 12-0 regular season.

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Not surprising was the fact that Beathard was drafted. What was surprising was the fact that he came off the board ahead of teammates Desmond King and Jaleel Johnson.

Beathard will potentially have a chance to compete for the starting job for a 49ers squad that has a new look to it with John Lynch as general manager and Kyle Shanahan as its first-year head coach.

The last Iowa quarterback drafted was Ricky Stanzi, who was a fifth-round pick back in 2011. Beathard was the Hawkeyes’ highest-drafted quarterback since Chuck Long went in the first round in 1986.