Geep Chryst see some aspects of Alex Smith in the game of Blaine Gabbert.

Gabbert needed to adapt from a spread run system into a pocket passer like Smith.

"Alex came here, was very young and played, had to slug out a lot of tough situations," Chryst said Thursday, via ESPN.com. "We felt like Blaine had all this talent, and as a young player, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him. He's really applied himself well in the classroom. He's engaged and active; he's a really bright guy."

For his career, Gabbert has a 53.0 completion percentage, 159.4 passing yards per game, a 22-24 TD-INT ratio and a 66.1 passer rating -- the lowest rating in the NFL since 2011.