The San Francisco paid a sizable sum to trade up and select Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. So far, the selection hasn’t gone according to plan.
After sitting most of his first year behind Jimmy Garoppolo, Lance suffered a season-ending injury early in Week 2. There’s a good chance he returns in a backup role, as the 49ers have endorsed Brock Purdy as their starting front-runner if he recovers smoothly from elbow surgery.
Per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, 49ers CEO Jed Yorke said he still doesn’t regret drafting Lance.
“I wouldn’t change anything that we’ve made about the decision with Trey,” York said. “I think Trey has a chance to be great. But it’s a bonus when you get somebody at the end of the seventh round that ends up coming in and being very impactful for your team.”
49ers CEO Jed York still has faith in Trey Lance’s ability to be a great NFL quarterback (via @MaioccoNBCS) https://t.co/V1nBwHfYJU
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) March 28, 2023
Lance hasn’t looked like a franchise fixture in earlier action, completing 56 of 102 passes. Yet it’s difficult to properly judge a 22-year-old after four career starts.
“You can’t worry about, well, Trey hasn’t played as many games as we would’ve liked,” York said. “It’s not his fault. He got injured.”
While the 49ers haven’t given up on Lance, they also won’t give him preferential treatment because of his draft pedigree.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch both said Purdy earned another starting opportunity. While the 2022 NFL Draft’s final selection recovers, Lance will reportedly split first-team reps with Sam Darnold.