4 storylines to watch after 49ers wrapped up mandatory minicamp

49ers storyline No. 1: All eyes on Trey Lance

With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo excused from mandatory minicamp and all the first-team reps going to second-year signal-caller Trey Lance, it makes sense why so much attention will continue to be dedicated to the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft.

So far, Lance has looked every bit the starter San Francisco envisioned him to be after a year’s worth of developing as Jimmy G’s backup.

A 14-of-18 line with four touchdowns on day one of minicamp, followed by a nearly equal as impressive a showing on day two, and the signs are beginning to point towards Lance turning into that bona fide offensive force the 49ers sought a little over a year ago.

Again, the nature of minicamp means no tackling and no physical contact, meaning Lance doesn’t have to face an actual pass rush and will benefit from his receiving targets essentially getting free releases from the line of scrimmage.

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It’s probably hard to fail in those situations.

However, there have been plenty of quarterbacks who haven’t done well in those circumstances, and it would be a glowing concern if Lance was still having difficulty hitting his targets, reading coverage and so on despite the offensive-friendly context.

Judging by all reports, though, this hasn’t been the case. And if that trend continues, Lance should be set up well enough for the ramp-up in intensity when training camp commences later this summer.