49ers select QB Lance with No. 3 pick in 2021 NFL Draft

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Not Mac Jones, not even Justin Fields. 

The 49ers went with the biggest wild card and took quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Lance is just 20 years old and only has 17 college starts to his name. He also is full of sky-high potential. 

As a redshirt freshman for North Dakota State University, Lance led the Bison to an FCS national championship in 2019. He threw for 2,786 yards, completed 66.9 percent of his passes and tossed 28 touchdowns. Lance wasn't intercepted once that same season. 

The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Lance also is a dual-threat QB. He rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 more TDs in 2019. 

But NDSU played just one game last season. He hasn't stepped on the field for a game since Oct. 3, 2020.

Lance will need some fine-tuning but has everything NFL teams are looking for. He has the size, he has the speed and athleticism, he has the arm strength. And youth certainly is on his side. 

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In the end, the 49ers went away from the prototypical Kyle Shanahan quarterback. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch clearly see Lance's upside and believe they can mold him into the very best version of himself. 

The 49ers have the weapons. Now they have their long-term franchise QB in Trey Lance.

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