Trey Lance isn't the only 49ers rookie who could change the team's plans this season. He isn't even the only Trey who could have a big role in Year 1.
Running back Trey Sermon might be an even bigger factor in the 49ers' offense right away after the Ohio State product surprisingly was selected by San Francisco in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Ahead of his first training camp, Sermon is doing what he can to be a complete back, working on his footwork, route running and catching ability.
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Becoming a more well-rounded player will be huge for both Sermon and the 49ers. Sermon caught 16 passes as a freshman for the Oklahoma Sooners. That number dropped to 12 as a sophomore, eight as a junior and then back up to 12 as a senior at Ohio State.
Sermon already is ahead of the curve after receiving first-team reps at OTAs. He also impressed his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, early on.
"Trey's been great," Shanahan said earlier this month. "Each week he's gotten more and more reps and as we cooled it down with Raheem a little bit here, the last couple of weeks, it's given him even more opportunities.”
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San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers limited reps for Raheem Mostert at OTAs, and Jeff Wilson Jr. will be out for the start of the season with a torn meniscus. Sermon now has a great opportunity to make an early impact in the Niners' offense.
Catching passes out of the backfield is key in Shanahan's offense. It wasn't Sermon's best skill in college, but he's clearly putting the work in to get better and better every day.