2021 NFL Mock Draft, post-free agency: Browns land Micah Parsons, Falcons shock with Kyle Pitts
By Randy Gurzi
12. player. QB. North Dakota State. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Trey Lance. 42
Up at No. 12 is the San Francisco 49ers and it seems pretty obvious where they should turn their attention. San Francisco went all-in with Jimmy Garoppolo as their quarterback and it’s hard to say he has been a bust for them. He boasts a record of 22-8 as the starter and even took them to the Super Bowl following the 2019 season — where they almost upset the Kansas City Chiefs.
The problem is, Jimmy G has been struggling to stay healthy. He missed 13 games in 2018 and then 10 more in 2020. With him out, the team has had to turn to Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard which hasn’t gone well every time — and if they stick with Garoppolo, they will likely have to keep turning to their reserves. Late in the 2020 season, there were reports that the 49ers were concerned with their quarterback situation and reports such as that are never good for the signal-caller.
All of that being said, they start to transition away from Garoppolo by taking Trey Lance out of North Dakota State. Lance is considered the No. 2 quarterback by some and the No. 4 by others in this class. It’s hard to say exactly where he will end up but due to his shortened season in 2020 and the fact that he played against lesser talent, he falls behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Justin Fields here.
For San Francisco, they now just need to decide how to proceed. They could elect to sit Lance for now and get him comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s office before making the transition or they could throw him to the fire and see what they can get for their veteran starter.