NFL head coaches are just like fans. When they fall in love with a draft prospect, they can't help but imagine what they'd look like on their team.
The 49ers had a major crush on North Dakota State QB Trey Lance before selecting him No. 3 overall in the draft last month. Lance was on the minds of 49ers brass so much that coach Kyle Shanahan was preparing for the future with Lance while scouting another quarterback prospect.
49ers general manager John Lynch recently joined the Cris Collinsworth Podcast, where he discussed his and Shanahan's obsession with Lance, and when the 49ers' coach began designing plays for the QB.
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“I remember coming back from Ohio State, and Justin Fields had a fantastic workout," Lynch told Collinsworth. "On the way back, we’re on the plane -- and Jed [York] was nice enough to get us a plane -- and Kyle is on his iPad with that iPad pencil, and he’s just grinding over there. Finally, he said, ‘Look at this’ -- I was wondering what he was doing -- and he was drawing up stuff with Trey in mind."
That's right: On the plane ride home from watching Fields -- whom the 49ers were very impressed by -- Shanahan already was thinking about his future with Lance.
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"We had just come from Justin Fields, and we both agreed that his workout was fantastic, but that’s when I said, ‘Man, he is really all-in on this,’ because of the excitement he had, and he was sitting there doodling up plays with Trey in mind,” Lynch said.
San Francisco 49ers
Nobody knows just how long it will take before Lance plays in his first regular-season NFL game. For now, Shanahan -- and 49ers fans alike -- are very, very excited about a future with Lance under center.