Trey Lance enters next week’s 2021 NFL Draft as the top in his class among quarterbacks in one particular area that the 49ers feature heavily in their offense.
“He did a ton of play-action, where he was under center,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films said on 49ers Talk.
“Plus, they lined up with two backs a lot. Of the quarterbacks coming out, in that particular trait, the conventional play-action pass game, he’s the most refined and advanced in that regard.”
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General manager John Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello were scheduled to be in attendance at Lance’s second pro day on Monday at the North Dakota State in Fargo, North Dakota, a source told NBC Sports Bay Area.
The 49ers are wrapping up their evaluations of the quarterback prospects. They will get the next pick after the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets make their selections at No. 1 and 2 overall.
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two quarterbacks selected. The 49ers will choose among Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. The 49ers previously had representatives at both throwing sessions of Fields and Jones.
The visit to watch Lance completes the circuit for Lynch and Shanahan, who will select the quarterback at No. 3 overall who will eventually replace Jimmy Garoppolo.
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Cosell said there is a lot to like about Lance, who was limited to just one game in 2020 due to a shortened fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Lance led the Bison to the FCS championship with an undefeated season. Lance threw 28 touchdowns, no interceptions and rushed for 1,100 yards.
“Lance is a guy that has a live arm,” Cosell said. “He throws the ball well. His body is live. He’s a very athletic kid, as well. He can sit on his back foot and drive the football. Now, his delivery is a little elongated. Sometimes he drops his arm to waist level. That’s going to need to be tightened up.”
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Lance is an intriguing prospect who has impressed NFL scouts. He showed a lot of the qualities Shanahan values in his quarterback, particularly the ability to turn his back to the defense when carrying out play-action, Cosell said.
“Because of the nature of the offense, he showed ball-distributor traits,” Cosell said. “He showed the ability just to drop back and get the ball to different receivers based on the structure of the offense.
“(He’s) another guy who can give you the playmaking dimension, another guy who can give you the designed boot game, the designed rollout game. He’s got a lot of good traits as well. Just like Fields, I’ve heard coaches say, they both have the 65-plus-yard arm. They both have big arms.”