The 49ers traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to ensure no one else grabbed Trey Lance, and these other four teams probably wish that didn’t happen.
San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance still remains a virtual unknown after being selected at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The third of three consecutive signal-callers drafted last April, and one of five taken in all of Round 1, Lance remains the only quarterback not starting for his respective team, perhaps an indication the Niners are fully planning on deploying him no sooner than 2022 once they’re fully done with the veteran, Jimmy Garoppolo, who has retained his starting bid for all but one game this season.
As such, Lance remains a great unknown, a high-profile draft pick without the year-one on-field takeaways the remaining first-round quarterbacks have all displayed in great detail up to this point.
Perhaps that’ll make some teams feel better about not having the chance at drafting him.
At the same time, though, these four squads are probably still cringing a bit knowing fully well San Francisco made the aggressive move-up to No. 3 to take Lance.
No. 4: Denver Broncos made a move for a QB after 49ers traded up for Trey Lance
It’s been a while since the Denver Broncos have had a quality quarterback, and it appears as if it’s been a year-to-year search for one ever since the days Hall of Famer Peyton Manning was donning the blue and orange.
Denver was indeed ready to give up on its most recent high-profile draft investment, Drew Lock, after his turnover-prone ways overshot the threshold in 2020.
Interestingly enough, though, the Broncos traded with the Carolina Panthers for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a day before the 2021 NFL Draft kicked off on April 29, suggesting Denver knew, at No. 9 overall, a player of Lance’s caliber wasn’t going to come close to falling to that spot, especially after the 49ers traded up some weeks before.
Granted, this assumes the Broncos were also out on fellow Round 1 quarterbacks Justin Fields, selected at No. 11 overall by the Chicago Bears, and Mac Jones, whom the New England Patriots took at No. 15.
Had Denver not settled with Bridgewater, it surely would have been fully in play for Lance with the hope he fell to No. 9 or at least a comfortable trade-up range.
At least cornerback Patrick Surtain II has worked out well for the Broncos.
No. 3: Washington Football Team would have had a pipe dream for Trey Lance
All one needs to do is take a look at any team’s quarterback situation, and if it’s not ideal, they’d be in the running for someone like Trey Lance.
The Washington Football Team had bridge options at the position, both with Taylor Heinicke and Ryan Fitzpatrick. And while Heinicke has shown some modest flash this season and could potentially help get his team into the playoffs, the old adage still applies:
If you don’t have an elite-level “the guy” quarterback, you need to be looking for one.
Washington eventually settled on linebacker Jamin Davis at No. 19 overall, and it would have been a near miracle had someone like Lance fallen that far in the draft order. But just as the Bears did with Justin Fields, moving up to No. 11 overall, it wouldn’t have been that far off for the Football Team to aggressively trade up, too.
Perhaps not within the top five, of course. But at least within the top 10, giving head coach Ron Rivera an exciting prospect in the mold of another quarterback with whom he had success years before, Cam Newton.
Nevertheless, the Niners prevented anything of the sort from happening, as did the Bears and Patriots with their respective signal-caller selections.
No. 2: Detroit Lions needed a centerpiece for their rebuild
One of the best ways to intrigue a rebuilding team’s fanbase is to grab a high-profile quarterback right away, precisely what the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets did with quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, respectively, although it made sense why those two were the first names off the board anyway.
The Detroit Lions, trying to right the ship under first-year head coach Dan Campbell, had already traded away their star quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in a package that included getting back fellow QB Jared Goff.
Related Story: 4 draftees 49ers regret passing up for Trey Lance
Singed through 2024 with his new team, Goff’s current contract nevertheless holds zero in guarantees in 2023, meaning a selection of someone like Trey Lance could have led to a situation where Detroit would have finally been far along in the rebuild by the time Lance, who would have had to fall to No. 7 overall, would be ready to go.
Because let’s face it, Goff isn’t it for a playoff-challenging contender. A good bridge, perhaps, but that’s it.
The Lions didn’t panic when San Francisco grabbed Lance, instead focusing on a proper “rebuild in the trenches” move by landing former Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell instead.
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.