Report: 49ers face tough decision on Lance after wanting Jones

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Hang in there, because there are still three more days left until the 49ers finally reveal which QB they will take with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Three days is an eternity when it comes to the draft, as the narrative could change daily. 

Late Sunday night, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers were deciding between two QBs: Alabama's Mac Jones, and North Dakota State's Trey Lance. 

Monday morning rolled around, and ESPN's Adam Schefter discussed the 49ers' options at pick three on The Adam Schefter Podcast, where he claimed that the 49ers have yet to decide on which player they will take.

“Here is where the draft's first bit of intrigue picks up," Schefter said. "When the 49ers traded up from [pick 12] to [pick 3] they did so with the idea that they were comfortable picking Mac Jones in that spot at number three. They would spend the next month doing a deep dive into Trey Lance and Justin Fields. They have done that deep-dive, and that deep-dive has made the 49ers' decision much tougher than they thought it was going to be."

"They went to the pro day of Justin Fields, they went to the pro day of Trey Lance, and I can tell you that they were impressed with what they saw. They like these quarterbacks. Now it becomes a philosophical question about where you want to take your offense, what you want to do with your team. I can tell you, that they are not quite sure what they are going to do. That’s as of Monday morning, and maybe on Tuesday or Wednesday, they will make up their mind. I think a month ago like I said, they were entirely comfortable taking Mac Jones at that spot. He still might be the pick, he very well might be the pick.”

RELATED: Shanahan calls it 'irresponsible' to let public influence 49ers' pick

On Monday afternoon, both general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan held a press conference where they discussed the upcoming draft and the QB evaluation process over the past month since their trade to No. 3.

Shanahan seemed to confirm Schefter's report that the 49ers traded up with one player in mind, but have since taken a step back to evaluate all three QBs.

“Yeah, we probably started with one in mind, but that one's gotten better since and so have all of the other candidates," Shanahan said. "So, do we know exactly who we want? Maybe, probably, but maybe not.

Which QB did they initially have in mind? What's changed now? Who will the pick be? All of those questions will be answered Thursday.

For now, Shanahan and Lynch will keep their pick close to the vest. 

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