NFL Power Rankings, Preseason Week 1: Rookie QBs steal the show

Trey Lance is the real deal.

The San Francisco 49ers moved up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to acquire him and it didn’t take long to see why they fell in love with him. Lance got his day kicked off with an 80-yard touchdown pass which showed more deep accuracy than Jimmy Garoppolo ever could — according to Spin Zone’s own Cody Williams.

While Williams was impressed with that touchdown, he added that the night as a whole for Lance left something to be desired — ranking him fourth out of five for rookie quarterbacks making their debut this weekend.

"“But on the whole, it can’t be overlooked that Lance wasn’t even close to efficient for the rest of the night. The rookie finished the game going 5-of-14 for 128 yards with the one score and no interceptions, meaning he went 4-of-13 for 48 yards outside of the touchdown.” — Williams, NFL Spin Zone"

Even with that being said, Lance showed off his talent in a big way on that play. He also showed why head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t ready to put him in over Jimmy G just yet.

While I am a huge proponent of playing the rookies as soon as possible, it’s hard to argue that Shanahan isn’t making the right move. Lance is going to be incredible once he does take over but this team has the luxury of taking their time and making sure they get everything right.