49ers roster: 4 rookies to watch during 2021 OTA practices

49ers Rookie No. 1: QB Trey Lance

Few recent San Francisco rookies will garner as much attention as interest as quarterback Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick from the NFL Draft who is pegged to be the heir apparent to the 49ers’ starter, Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo is widely predicted to start in 2021 with Lance developing his rookie year.

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But that doesn’t change the level of interest fans will have in Lance’s early maturation.

The 7-on-7 and full-team drills during OTAs don’t feature actual sacks, although it’ll surely be interesting to see how Lance reacts to this mock quarterbacking pressure. And it’ll be equally as compelling to see which pass-catching targets quickly develop a rapport with him.

Those are the kinds of interesting storylines worth monitoring during OTAs.

Lance likely starts off with the second-string unit, working with receivers like Richie James and behind offensive linemen like Daniel Brunskill and another recently drafted rookie, Western Michigan’s Jaylon Moore. Yet fans are going to want to see how fast Lance is picking up Kyle Shanahan’s offense and if his accuracy, arm strength and speed can equate towards becoming one of the league’s top offensive weapons sooner than later.

49ers OTAs will wrap up on June 10 with mandatory minicamps kicking off on June 15.