49ers Take NDSU’s Trey Lance with No. 3 NFL Draft Pick
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After a month of endless speculation and debate that left coach Kyle Shanahan amused at the public discourse, the San Francisco 49ers let the world know who their next franchise quarterback would be Thursday night.No, it wasn't longtime betting favorite Mac Jones. Nor was it Ohio State's dual-threat dynamo, Justin Fields.
It was Trey Lance, the player considered one of the biggest risks in the draft because of his small, 17-game sample at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, but also the one who many believe boasts more upside than any quarterback in the draft.
With the Niners' selection of Lance, this is the highest a team has drafted a quarterback only one season removed from a Super Bowl appearance in NFL history, surpassing the Green Bay Packers' choice of Don Horn at No. 25 in 1967, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Lance's addition was a bold choice befitting the equally daring move the Niners made to move from No. 12 to No. 3 to acquire him. It was also a stealthy operation that Shanahan and Lynch said had them taking great pains to keep secret their desire to ultimately select Lance, even as the Jones speculation swirled around them.
In selecting Lance, the future of incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo lingers.
But other quarterback-needy teams such as the Chicago Bears (Fields), New England Patriots (Jones) and Denver Broncos (Teddy Bridgewater) acquired other quarterbacks this week, and there doesn't appear to be an obvious landing spot for Garoppolo even if the Niners were motivated to trade him.