Trey Lance won’t have to be savior for loaded San Francisco 49ers – NFL Nation

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For many quarterbacks chosen within the high three of the NFL draft, the rapid expectation is for them to take downtrodden franchises and elevate them to the league’s loftiest heights.

Most of the time, it does not work. It is why, on the time the San Francisco 49ers used the No. 3 decide in 2021 on quarterback Trey Lance, a whopping 44 quarterbacks had been chosen within the high three within the earlier 50 NFL drafts and solely two starters — Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning — received a Tremendous Bowl with the staff that initially drafted them.

The state of affairs in San Francisco is exclusive. When coach Kyle Shanahan lastly, formally declared that these Niners belong to Lance on the opening day of coaching camp, he wasn’t asking the second-year signal-caller to be the franchise savior.

As he defined why the 49ers are turning a staff that was minutes away from a second Tremendous Bowl look in three years over to an unproven 22-year previous, Shanahan pointed to a number of issues. A perception in Lance, positive, however nothing stood out greater than this: the Niners’ roster is proficient sufficient that Lance does not must play the hero.

“I really feel nearly as good about our roster as I’ve,” Shanahan mentioned. “I feel our staff’s in a fantastic spot to show it over to a quarterback who hasn’t performed earlier than.”

The 49ers have a roster that does not look something like most groups drafting quarterbacks within the high three. Solely a yr after showing in Tremendous Bowl LIV, the Niners traded from No. 12 to No. 3 to get Lance, a transfer they have been positioned to make solely due to a 2020 season decimated by accidents.

Earlier than the Niners drafted Lance, no quarterback had ever been picked larger than No. 25 by a staff that was one full season faraway from a Tremendous Bowl. So whereas Lance could have loads of strain in his first full season as San Francisco’s starter, it is going to be extra of the “do not mess it up” selection than the “please save us” sort.

“I feel he is in in all probability the very best place you might be in as a first-year quarterback with a protection like us and an excellent O-line and a bunch of weapons,” defensive finish Nick Bosa mentioned. “He is acquired all the assistance he wants … I feel if he does not make large errors, then we will be in good condition.”

The query then turns into what, precisely, do they want from Lance in an effort to get to the mountaintop? Whereas San Francisco’s offense beneath Shanahan won’t ever abandon its core ideas — large zone blended with hole scheme dashing assault, loads of play-action and bootlegs within the passing recreation — it’s going to seemingly perform in a different way with Lance than it did with Jimmy Garoppolo.

With Garoppolo on the controls, the Niners ran a precision, run-heavy offense that leaned on yards after the catch to do harm by way of the air. Over the previous three seasons, Garoppolo accomplished 68.5% of his passes (fourth within the NFL) and the Niners have been fifth in time of possession.

What Garoppolo did not convey was the flexibility to persistently throw the ball downfield or make performs together with his legs. In that very same time, the Niners have been final within the NFL in go makes an attempt of 20-plus air yards (118), twenty ninth in completions on such throws (56) and their 339 dashing yards from quarterbacks additionally ranked twenty ninth.

In Lance, the Niners are putting in a quarterback who got here into the league with simply 318 go makes an attempt at North Dakota State and a few accuracy questions. Final season, Lance’s completion proportion of 57.7% was greater than 10 factors beneath Garoppolo’s.

The Niners hope Lance’s willingness to take pictures and make issues occur when performs break down will offset any accuracy losses. Even in a small 71-attempt pattern from final season, Lance proved he is not afraid to let it fly, with 13 makes an attempt of 20-plus air yards (18.3%). Garoppolo had 441 passes final season, with 32 touring 20-plus yards within the air (7.2%).

Lance’s 10.2 air yards per try was the best within the NFL amongst quarterbacks making an attempt a minimum of 50 passes. In fact, Lance additionally brings a floor ingredient — he had 1,100 dashing yards for the Bison in 2019 — that can permit Shanahan to get artistic within the run recreation and create extra off-schedule alternatives to throw.

“New wrinkles is not the issue with him,” Shanahan mentioned. “Trey can do something, however what is going on to be his greatest stuff, and that is [something] I haven’t got the reply to but. And I will have a a lot better concept on the finish of camp, however I nonetheless will not have the reply. That may go all year long and that is at all times evolving.”

To Lance’s profit, he’ll begin the season with a handful of elite gamers dotting the roster. Left deal with Trent Williams will defend his blind facet, and Lance has former All-Professionals equivalent to receiver Deebo Samuel and tight finish George Kittle catching passes, to not point out rising younger wideout Brandon Aiyuk and operating again Elijah Mitchell.

On protection, the Niners return eight starters, together with Professional Bowlers Bosa and Fred Warner, and spent large cash to signal cornerback Charvarius Ward. That unit was so suffocating within the opening days of camp that some puzzled if the offense would ever catch up. Because the preseason wore on, Lance and Co. started to search out some success and stood agency within the perception that taking part in that protection on daily basis solely served to make them higher.

“While you say issues [are] slowing down, it is simply getting higher,” Lance mentioned. “Each rep I take, I feel the sport slows down, and that is sort of the way in which I am going about it each single day, someday at a time, and each single rep [I’m] attempting to be taught as a lot as I can from it.”

There are a handful of quarterbacks who’ve received a Tremendous Bowl of their second NFL season. That record that features Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Russell Wilson. Of that group, Brady and Warner have been, like Lance, of their first seasons because the starter.

They have been additionally surrounded by elite expertise, that means they did not have to hold the freight. The Niners know Lance could have his ups and downs. However they hope he’ll enhance each week, and at minimal, keep away from the performs in key moments that result in losses.

“We have to do our greatest to make it as simple as we are able to for Trey,” Kittle mentioned. “We have to play at a excessive sufficient degree the place if Trey has a recreation the place he throws a pair picks, it’s what it’s and we’re gonna be taking part in nicely sufficient the place we are able to win these video games … The extra video games Trey performs, the higher he’s going to get and it is simply going be as much as us to assist him out as greatest we are able to.”