49ers roster: Why Trey Lance silences his critics as a first-year starter

2022 is going to be a monumental year for the 49ers with Trey Lance under center, so let’s break down why he exceeds expectations as a starting quarterback.

In 2005, when the San Francisco 49ers selected former Utah quarterback Alex Smith No. 1 overall in that year’s NFL Draft, the context of the team was so poor that it only led to Smith having one of the most forgettable rookie seasons in franchise history.

In 2021, the Niners elected not to follow this same path with the No. 3 overall pick, quarterback Trey Lance.

Granted, the contexts are entirely different. San Francisco of 2021 was exponentially better as a team than the 2005 squad, and it also had a proven signal-caller on the roster, Jimmy Garoppolo.

As such, the 49ers could afford to take another Smith-like approach, albeit one where he stood pat with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 during then-rookie quarterback Patrick Mahomes marinating on the bench.

Whether or not Lance, who managed to start two games his rookie year amid injuries to Garoppolo, has a Mahomes-like ascent in year two is anyone’s guess. The Niners would love that, but it’s also necessary to temper expectations.

Still, those expectations should be awfully high.

San Francisco’s inability to trade Garoppolo this offseason so far has led to some worries about Lance not being “the real deal.”

Understandable. A high-profile player isn’t proven until he’s, well… proven. Lance isn’t there yet.

However, let’s dive into the signs and reasons why Lance won’t just meet those expectations but also why he’ll wind up silencing his critics in his first full year as a starter.