2021 NFL Draft: 5 first-round picks teams will soon regret
QB Trey Lance, No. 3, San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers had their pick of essentially the second tier of quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft. They went with Trey Lance, who was arguably the biggest boom-or-bust prospect among the bunch. Unfortunately, this situation seems to set him up for bust.
Why? On the surface, the 49ers seem like a great fit because they have the roster to make a playoff run. All they really needed was a reliable, quality quarterback to get them over the hump. They already have Jimmy Garoppolo, but he couldn’t be relied on with his tendency to get hurt. The problem is I don’t think Lance is ready to rely on either.
Put simply, Lance lacks the experience to be thrown to the wolves so early. He rarely saw the field at North Dakota State, and when he did, it was usually against inferior competition. Now he’s stepping into a high-pressure situation with the 49ers in which they’re going to be expecting him to take them the distance.
Lance would have been better off in a situation where he could sit and learn behind a veteran for a year or two. He needs reps, he needs coaching and he needs experience — he doesn’t need to be baptized by fire.
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San Francisco spent the No. 3 pick on Lance to be their franchise quarterback. He’ll struggle to meet those expectations, effectively dooming his time in the Bay Area from the get-go.