49ers 2021 NFL Draft live tracker, reactions and updates
By Peter Panacy
Round 1, Pick No. 3 Overall: QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
In the days counting down to Round 1 of the NFL Draft, the 49ers’ apparent selection for No. 3 overall was reportedly coming down to either Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
Turns out, Lance is the one Kyle Shanahan and the Niners want to bring aboard.
Lance, of course, is banking on his exceptional 2019 season where he put up massive numbers, albeit against less-stellar competition. But the numbers don’t lie:
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| 2018 | North Dakota State | MVC | FR | QB | 2 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 12 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 200.8 |
| 2019 | North Dakota State | MVC | SO | QB | 16 | 192 | 287 | 66.9 | 2786 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 28 | 0 | 180.6 |
| Career | North Dakota State | 193 | 288 | 67.0 | 2798 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 28 | 0 | 180.7 |
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference
Generated 4/29/2021.
But what makes the 20-year-old 6-foot-4, 226-pound Lance even more enticing for San Francisco and scary for the rest of the NFC West is the fact he rushed for 1,100 yards in 2019 before playing just one game in 2020 because of the COVID-shortened season.
And while the 49ers had their choice with potentially Ohio State’s Justin Fields being there, too, most 49ers fans are probably happy Jones wasn’t the pick.
Lance, in need of development, probably ensures Jimmy Garoppolo sticks around for at least one more year, both as a mentor and a bridge to the former Bison star.
After that, though, look for Lance to be the next dual-threat signal-caller taking over the league.