49ers news: Trey Lance gets his first snaps at rookie minicamp

The 49ers opened up their 2021 rookie minicamp today, and all eyes were on quarterback Trey Lance, who looks good in a Niners uniform.

There understandably hasn’t been this much buzz about a San Francisco 49ers rookie minicamp for some time now. True, fans were certainly excited about the NFL debut of EDGE Nick Bosa back in 2019 after he was drafted No. 2 overall.

But 2021 sure feels different. Particularly after the Niners took quarterback Trey Lance at No. 3 overall.

San Francisco kicked off its opening rookie on-field orientation on Friday, May 14, which marks the start of a three-day period where first-year players get their initial taste of practice workouts. And while there’s not much to be dissected, outside of players doing individual drills, it’s sure refreshing to see Lance line up and take mock snaps with the classic 49ers helmet on.

Trey lance already adjusting to life with 49ers

Speaking to the media on his first day of practice, Lance admitted there’s going to be a long and tough road ahead of him before he’s fully ready to embrace a starter’s role.

“It’s an NFL playbook, so it’s a lot,” Lance said. “I’ve got a lot to learn for sure. But I also have a lot of great people around me. Great coaches and obviously great guys in the quarterback room.”

Lance also mentioned he’s been in contact with the quarterback he’s expected to replace, Jimmy Garoppolo, who has reportedly embraced the idea of mentoring the rookie instead of distancing himself from the player who is expected to eventually take his job:

The Niners are widely expected to give Lance some time before he steps into a starting role. After all, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense is considered one of the league’s most complex, and many feel it takes at least a full year to completely learn.

At the same time, though, Lance operated in a somewhat similar system at North Dakota State, using a lot of play action, rollouts and bootlegs to take advantage of mismatches within the defense.

Related Story: 4 bold predictions for 49ers rookie class in 2021

Lance also mentioned some of the similarities in his conversation with the media, too. That’ll certainly help his maturation.

Yet some of the bigger challenges will take place later on this offseason, including San Francisco’s organized team activities and, later this summer, training camp when the pads come on. But perhaps the most anticipated moments for 49ers fans will be when they get to observe Lance actually take the field during the three preseason bouts in advance of Week 1.

Those bouts will certainly be the biggest test of Lance’s young NFL career and could say a lot about how far he’s come along since being drafted.