Last Thursday night, the San Francisco 49ers shocked many in the football world when they drafted North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the third-overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft. For many, this was a surprise, because all the tea leaves seemed to be pointing towards Alabama passer Mac Jones as the selection. Instead, the 49ers made the man from Fargo their next quarterback.
But when you start to dig in deeper to the prospect, you might see that Lance is an ideal fit for what Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers’ need at the quarterback position.
There are a few reasons why this pairing would be ideal. We can divide this into three elements: Pre-snap, post-snap passing, and post-snap athleticism.
Let’s start with what happens before the play even begins.
