The San Francisco 49ers selected QB Trey Lance with the third overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The wait is over. Niner Nation has been in a frenzy since the team traded up at the end of March to get the number three overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch had been extremely tight-lipped about who they would select with their pick, yet most top-level analysts and those close to the franchise had tapped Mac Jones as the runaway favorite to be drafted at #3.
Jones’s big football brain was not enough to distract the 49ers from Lance and his athleticism, despite having only played in 19 games for North Dakota State. Across those 19 games, however, Lance went undefeated, throwing for more than 3000 yards and zero interceptions.
Questions still remain regarding his role this upcoming season, with Jimmy Garoppolo slated to return and take back the starting quarterback position. Nonetheless, with the addition of C Alex Mack and the front office’s ability to resign a handful of notable players on both sides of the ball, the 49ers are already a runaway favorite to contend for the Super Bowl this season, assuming they can stay healthy.
No matter what happens, the organization paid an extremely high price to move up to #3 and draft Lance, and they will be judged on that move for years to come.
Top Image: Trey Lance at the 2021 NFL Draft - Red Carpet (Pool / Pool via GettyImages)