49ers trade 6th-round pick for quarterback Blaine Gabbert

Blaine Gabbert, the 10th pick in the 2011 draft, didn't resemble a franchise quarterback in three forgettable seasons with the Jaguars. In his fourth season, however, the 49ers hope Gabbert can simply serve as a capable backup to Colin Kaepernick, who was taken 26 picks later that year.
 On Tuesday, the 49ers traded a sixth-round pick to Jacksonville to acquire Gabbert, 24, who has thrown 22 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions and posted a 66.4 rating in his career. ESPN reported the compensation the Jaguars received.
 "We thought highly of Blaine as an early entry into the 2011 NFL draft," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said.
 "He is a high-character individual that will be given every opportunity to develop within our system, and we are looking forward to working with him.
" After starting 24 games in his first two seasons, Gabbert started only three games last year because of injuries and eventually ceded the starting spot to Chad Henne. In his three starts in 2013, Gabbert threw one touchdown, seven interceptions and had a 36.0 rating. Gabbert is scheduled to earn a $2.01 million base salary in 2014, while Kaepernick will earn $973,766.
 Of course, Jim Harbaugh, who attended Gabbert's pro day at Missouri in 2011, is known as a top developer of quarterbacks, and he could be intrigued by Gabbert's size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) and strong arm.
 Last year, the 49ers traded for another highly drafted young quarterback, Cleveland's Colt McCoy, to serve as Kaepernick's backup. McCoy, an unrestricted free agent, is expected to sign elsewhere. McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a San Francisco native who has never thrown a regular-season pass, is the only other quarterback on the 49ers roster.

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