49ers NFL Draft: 4 teams that regret not taking Trey Lance

No. 1: Atlanta Falcons were going to take Trey Lance if 49ers didn’t

Perhaps this is a bold statement. And there’s a video from inside the Atlanta Falcons’ NFL Draft war room showing clear excitement when the 49ers elected to go with Trey Lance at No. 3 overall.

There’s a reason, however, why the Niners traded up to No. 3 overall, one spot ahead of where the Falcons eventually took Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Knowing fully well Atlanta was and is in a position to think about replacing the veteran quarterback, Matt Ryan, it’s not surprising rumors and reports surfaced about a restructuring Falcons team was leaning towards a quarterback with its first pick.

Particularly according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, who also felt Lance would be San Francisco’s selection, too.

It’s possible, and plenty of speculation has said it was likely, Atlanta had Lance and Pitts listed as Nos. 1 and 2 on its draft big board. Once the 49ers made the trade to acquire Lance, that ruled out any possibility of getting him, yet the excitement of getting an all-purpose weapon like Pitts isn’t exactly foddering either.

The Falcons stayed committed to Ryan and likely have to now for at least another year, barring some crazy shakeups on the offseason market and also because of their in-between salary-cap situation.

If Lance got to No. 4 in the draft, though, it’s hard to see Atlanta taking a hard pass.