5 early contenders for SF 49ers first pick in 2021 NFL Draft

SF 49ers Contender No. 1: Quarterback Trey Lance, North Dakota State

Zach Wilson went from a real possibility to San Francisco late in 2020 to a pipe dream, perhaps the No. 2 overall quarterback selected after Trevor Lawrence. It’s also possible, even after he had a rough outing against Alabama in the CFB Playoff Championship game, Justin Fields winds up going in the top three or four picks, too.

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The SF 49ers trading up is always a possibility. But any deal to get into the top five will be awfully expensive, and it might be an easier suggestion to take a look at someone like Trey Lance, who seems to be a much easier trade-up target.

True, Lance has minimal stats and was featured in just one full-length season for North Dakota State, 2019. But those efforts that year where he passed for over 2,700 yards with 28 touchdowns against zero interceptions need to be highlighted, just as much as how he’s a massive dual-threat runner who can move the chains with his legs.

Players of Lance’s ilk have highlighted the NFL’s trend of moving towards mobile quarterbacks in recent years, yet Kyle Shanahan has been somewhat hesitant to embrace this approach.

Lance could give Shanahan this added dynamic, and it isn’t as if Lance lacks the abilities to make the big-play throw. That’s part of his arsenal as well.

He might be a bit more project-like a quarterback when compared to some of the other first-round targets, yet Lance has all the dynamic tools to turn the SF 49ers offense into a lethal machine.