SF 49ers: Analyzing experts’ 2021 first-round mock drafts
No. 3: Quarterback Trey Lance to SF 49ers
In a mock draft done by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, he had San Francisco drafting quarterback Trey Lance out of North Dakota State in the first round.
Rumors have been swirling all over the place recently the SF 49ers are in the market for a new quarterback. It seemed that with each quarterback that went on the trade block the Niners were thought of as front runners to completing a deal.
When soon-to-be former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was made available for a trade, many thought San Francisco would pull the trigger and make a deal, up until the very end when the LA Rams’ offer was accepted by the Lions and the pending trade was announced.
It seems to come from the fact current starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been oft-injured. In his three full seasons with the team, he has missed 23 games due to injury. In addition, he seems to lack some of the skill sets that would allow him to be a complete quarterback. Garoppolo lacks mobility and accuracy with his downfield throws.
That is where a quarterback like Lance would fill the void. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 226 pounds, he’s a big physical quarterback. He has good speed and can break tackles if he chooses to use his feet. And he has that big arm with accuracy to make those downfield throws.
The film on him is great, but there is not much of it as NDSU only got to play one game in 2020 as the season was postponed to spring due to COVID-19. Lance, however, elected to skip the season and declare for the draft.
So the sample size of his film is really all from 2019. It looks great, but the question general manager John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have to ask themselves is, will he be ready?
Both Lynch and Shanahan have affirmed Garoppolo is their guy going into next season. But there is always the chance they look to increase their depth at the position and draft a quarterback.
If that is the case, Lance might sit for a year or so behind Garoppolo before he gets thrown into a starting role.