Mac Jones has generated the most buzz as the player the San Francisco 49ers could potentially take with the third overall pick in the draft, but they still have several days to make a final decision. Could Trey Lance be the one whose name is called when the pick is in?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano said on “Get Up!” Monday that he believes the 49ers are seriously considering drafting Lance. He compared Lance to Josh Allen and noted how Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan gushed about Allen prior to the draft in 2018.
.@DanGrazianoESPN can't shake the feeling that the 49ers are seriously interested in Trey Lance
"In a lot of ways it makes more sense than a Mac Jones pick." pic.twitter.com/q8CL2ij1ZI
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 19, 2021
“Kyle Shanahan was raving about Josh Allen and the number of different things you could do with an offense when you have a quarterback that has that kind of ability,” Graziano said. “Trey Lance has played under center in college more than these other guys have. He fits a lot of what Kyle Shanahan wants to do. In a lot of ways it makes more sense than a Mac Jones pick, also because they plan on keeping Jimmy Garoppolo and can give Trey Lance whatever time it is he needs to be ready — a week, three weeks, a whole season, whatever that turns out to be.”
Graziano is right that the Garoppolo factor has been overlooked. The 49ers insist Garoppolo is part of their plans for 2021, and that may be because they want to have their rookie QB sit on the bench for a while. Though, you could make the argument that either Jones or Lance would benefit from some time holding a clipboard.
Lance is a raw prospect who played in just one game last year at North Dakota State due to injury, but many view him as the most impressive quarterback in the draft from a physical standpoint. It would not be a surprise if all the reports we have heard about the 49ers taking Jones were a smokescreen.
One former NFL scout thinks San Francisco would be making a huge mistake by picking Jones.
