Dylan Thompson knows he’s next in line at quarterback for 49ers

SANTA CLARA - Dylan Thompson has spent the majority of his rookie season as the scout team quarterback, posing as Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer or Russell Wilson in practice to prepare the starting defense.

Until this week. Now, his job is changing.

In one whirlwind weekend, Thompson went from practice squad to active roster and backup to San Francisco starter Blaine Gabbert. Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who led the Niners to a Super Bowl just three seasons ago, injured his non-throwing left shoulder and underwent surgery Tuesday - and his time with the franchise could be over.

Thompson suited up for his first NFL game during Sunday’s 29-13 loss at Seattle. He has to be ready for anything, because he is the next one up if Gabbert goes down.

“He showed up mature. He’s got a maturity about him,” coach Jim Tomsula said. “He’s still a rookie, and he’s learning. Every time you see the plateaus, you see him fight through them and then you see him get better. We’re thrilled with the way he’s approached things, the way he’s worked.”

Even on the sideline now, Thompson is more active because he must be a sounding board for Gabbert whenever needed or if asked about something he might be seeing on the field from his perspective.

“It was awesome. It really is,” Thompson said. “Just to know you work and you keep telling yourself your time will come if you just keep working and preparing. You never want it to be due to an injury or anything like that, but when the opportunity’s there for you to be able to move up, and in this case dress, it’s a good thing for you personally.”

Thompson was an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina and was among those cut when Tomsula named his 53-man roster, yet Thompson stuck around on the practice squad.

He appreciates having the chance to learn from Kaepernick and Gabbert, who have been around the league for five seasons each now.

They are locker mates and often have lunch together in the cafeteria at team headquarters.

“It gives them the perspective of how you go about watching your film, how you go about preparing, the seriousness of it,” Tomsula said of Thompson being around two veterans.

Thompson has watched how both quarterbacks handled a difficult situation when the struggling Kaepernick was benched earlier this month and Gabbert was promoted ahead of leading the 49ers to a 17-16 victory against Atlanta on Nov. 8.

“They’ve been great to me,” Thompson said. “You never know. People always tell you guys won’t talk to you when you’re a rookie, especially at quarterback. These two guys have been awesome for me, just really nice guys who have helped me. Any question I’ve had they’ve helped. They were that way with each other. Blaine supported Kap when he was out there and vice versa.”

In the preseason finale, when the reserves get their most playing time, Thompson completed 17 of 25 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and two sacks in a 14-12 win against San Diego.

That gave him a confidence boost going into the year that he could compete at this level.

He understands that some quarterbacks benefit greatly from waiting their turns and learning behind the scenes rather than being thrust into the pressures of a starting role right away.

“At quarterback in particular, repeat experiences are huge in the development process,” he said. “Seeing guys go through things, certain looks, certain blitzes you might see in a game, and game-planning for certain things, the more of that you can get under your belt and obviously playing is huge.”