3 things Trey Lance must do to steal Jimmy Garoppolo’s job

No. 1: Trey Lance must use his athletic gifts at will with 49ers

Jimmy Garoppolo might have bulked up during the offseason to guard against injuries, but he’s still physically limited.

And it doesn’t take much of an eye test to reveal he wholly lacks the elusiveness, scrambling and rushing abilities a player like Trey Lance offers.

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For anyone who was counting, Garoppolo has 141 total rush yards over his seven-year career.

Lance, meanwhile, had more than that total during just one game in 2020 (143) and rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns back in 2019, too.

Lance elected not to run a 40-yard time during his pro day, but the analysis suggested he’d regularly be in the 4.50 range, the benchmark for fast wide receivers, running backs and cornerbacks. And while NFL-level competition might be able to stay close to him a bit more than what he experienced in college, that speed and his 6-foot-4 frame are still great enough to provide an element to San Francisco’s offense it hasn’t had in a long time.

Kyle Shanahan hasn’t truly had a dual-threat athlete under center since quarterback Robert Griffin III, and the thought about how much the 49ers offense could evolve right away with Lance using both his arm and leg talents is awfully enticing.

Perhaps enticing enough to convince Shanahan to let Lance start right out of the gate.