And while his injury might not have been part of the plan, it does factor into the equation of whether or not the 49ers made the right call by grabbing him. He played the whole game just once his junior year. "[Lance] is able to see coverages very well, and I think it's going to be a little bit more complex obviously at the NFL level than the college level, but I think he'll learn that game, as he progresses through his time in the NFL," North Dakota State University quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg said in March, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, head coach Kyle . He hit both of those marks in a shootout win against Florida in the SEC championship game, and he had four more touchdowns in Bama's win over Notre Dame. And while Lance is a better runner than true passer right now, it's only a matter of time before he's known as much (if not more) for his ability to win consistently with his arm. "A really big deal.". Kiper and McShay debated Jones' status in November, with Kiper noting Jones' prowess on downfield throws. Some are going to question whether or not the 49ers made the right move by picking up right tackle Mike McGlincheys fifth-year option for 2022, and while McGlinchey showed some improvement over the first half of 2021 in comparison to a rough 2020 campaign, the fact hes now shelved for the rest of the year on injured reserve with a quad injury puts a halt to that. Carlton would ask, and Trey would answer, "Trey. Ravens GM says he covets QBs, 'Unbelievable night': ND wins Brey's home finale, Montana SB jersey breaks Brady's auction record, Colts GM pins moving up to 'guy worthy of it', Spring batting averages, runs up amid shift limits, The triumph of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors in Creed III, 5 things to know as Antoine Davis is set to pass 'Pistol' Pete's scoring record. Projecting the futures of Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and other Vikings veterans. He completed 41-of-71 passing attempts (57.7 percent) for 603 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. 1 in the 2021 draft and, in November, participated in Senior Day festivities at Clemson. And to think he was almost not a quarterback. 7 overall prospect. That's another box I would check." On offense, he threw for 1,097 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine games. 45-yard throw, pressure in his face, throwing from the far hash and Trey Lance has the ball on an absolute rope. "He's a lot more fun and exciting than I am." His final high school season was featured on Season 2 of Netflix's "QB1: Beyond the Lights." Could the Cowboys look at a running back in first round again? 1 overall"-type potential last fall -- remember, in his first three games he had 11 incompletions and 11 touchdown passes -- there were moments where he struggled. Now, its yet another year of lets wait and see.. Trey sped out of his grasp and rode around the park like he was ready for a unicycle. "Trey is probably the hardest evaluation I've had to do in 11 years," says ESPN draft scout Matt Miller. "There is still a lot of change coming, and teams will improve or decline over the coming months," writes ESPN. Trey Lance. BYU's Zach Wilson is the front runner, but Ohio State's . Height: 6-3 | Weight: 214. "We drove over there telling Trey, 'From my research and what I've looked at, I think you've got it, but I don't want to look at it through dad eyes. Angie says. 15). The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. INDIANAPOLIS A theme at this year's NFL Scouting Combine: There's not a lot of top-level talent. Year: Third-year sophomore | Age: 20 | Career starts: 17 "NFL free agency officially begins on March 15, roughly six weeks before the league holds the, Brock Purdy's surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow has been postponed to March. All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Trey Lance Grade: 247 RATING: 81/100. What's next: With his bowl game behind him, Wilson announced on Friday, Jan. 1, that he is entering the draft. 1) | McShay's QB1 (No. Fast forward 12 months and Wilson looked amazing in 12 starts for BYU, with a completion percentage of 73.5, 33 touchdown passes and just three interceptions. All teams and players mentioned are registered trademarks of the NFL and its respective teams. "Seventeen starts is a very small picture to get a complete idea of who a player is, and it's not only 17 but 17 against FCS competition. 2 overall), Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (No. Lance was regarded as an extremely raw talent with just 318 pass attempts under his belt as a one-year starter at North Dakota State. "But I can go through and look at last year's draft and how loaded it was up there at the top that I could make a case You could go through and I could find probably 10 guys that would have an opportunity to be the first pick in this year's draft. The Week 4 game against Indiana immediately comes to mind, as does the Northwestern matchup. As you get a couple years out it's a little tougher. And it wouldnt have been a bad approach for the Niners to continue reinforcing their offensive line instead of the Chargers grabbing Slater at No. The game was widely considered to be played for one reason -- to showcase Lance -- but NDSU contended it was a chance to play a game, any game, during a time when schedules and regulations were in constant flux and the team was on campus, practicing and ready to go. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is expected to get the bulk of . And it was the last two quarterbacks, the Buffalo Bills Josh Allen and the Baltimore Ravens Lamar Jackson, who have had the most success. He was granted immediate eligibility. Considering his notable lack of collegiate experience, combined with the reality of Lance missing the overwhelming majority of two seasons at the pro level, time is running out on him being the possible lone top find of the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class a la Jackson or Allen. He has shown all the physical (speed, arm strength, accuracy) and mental (ability to read a defense, leadership, pattern identity) qualities NFL scouts look for, but in precious few repetitions to evaluate their next-level utility. "So I went to a camp in Chicago when I was in high school," he began, and proceeded to tell the story. 3 overall. And with San Francisco poised to make Lance the full-time starter in 2022, the No. "Well, I think the biggest thing is (that NFL teams) wonder if playing just the 17 games, if that gives him enough pictures that he's seen you know, different pictures from defenses," Hedberg explained. Lance showed flashes of immense potential during two starts and a few brief cameos during his rookie season. '", In the kitchen in Pensacola, Trey leaned back, formulating the answer in his head. They eventually selected quarterback Trey Lance. Its lone loss came with Lawrence on the sideline -- he tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of October and went 35 days between starts, missing two games. It is a tacit acknowledgment that character issues is a label that historically gets pinned disproportionately on Black quarterbacks. He also decided against running the 40 at his pro-day, which seemed like a suspect choice. His dual-threat ability could be enticing for an NFL team. But his sophomore season brought middling numbers (11 touchdown passes, nine picks) and a six-week absence in the middle of the campaign with a fractured thumb. Round 1: Kiper | McShay | NFL Nation Carlton, a former Canadian Football League defensive back who is a Hall of Famer at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, plotted it out: He and Trey would head to the park with Trey's bike, whereupon Carlton would remove the training wheels and proceed to teach the older . There is no doubt that Clemson's Trevor Lawrence headlines the draft class. 28. NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? Sure. Overall, Lance appeared in six games. "If he had a chance to go back to school and continue to grow and play and develop, I think he would have been the first pick in this draft.". By comparison, last season Trevor Lawrence attempted an average of 33 passes per game, Mac Jones attempted 31, and Justin Fields and Zach Wilson attempted 28. Sam Hodde/AP Images. "Then why is he beating you down the field?" Kiper's draft grades for every team 16. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State. The 2021 NFL Draft was supposed to be chock full of promising quarterbacks, including Trey Lance, but the production so far has been awfully disappointing. 7 overall prospect. When Jeremiah dropped his third iteration of his rankings one month before the draft last year, Lance was his No. Trask has taken his game to another level this season. Mond will be at the Senior Bowl as well. After not attempting a pass in nearly three months, he then led the 49ers to a win against the Texans in Week 17 that was full of playoff implications. Follow full coverage of Trey Lance during the 2021 NFL Draft on ESPN.com. "And second, you're studying NFL defenses?". It would have been nice to have a full season this fall for him this past fall, so he could have played potentially 15 more games or so, but that didn't happenI think that would have helped him in the long run.". . In both draft classes, five signal-callers were taken in Round 1. His accuracy was a question headed into the season, but he completed 63.3% of his passes and threw just three interceptions as a senior. Former NFL scout and NFL Media's draft expert Daniel Jeremiah released his latest rankings of the top 50 prospects in the 2022 draft on Monday, and his top quarterback, Kenny Pickett, is listed at No. Angie met Carlton at the door. What's next: Fields and the Buckeyes are headed for the College Football Playoff national championship to play Alabama (Jan. 11, 8 p.m. at While offensive linemen rarely factor into Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Slater should easily command some attention there. 4 / 22 . The quarterback took to social media to ask for "a few college receivers" for (presumably) a Bay Area throwing session, starting on Friday (h/t Grant Cohn of SI) "But would I do anything differently? Not only are both former North Dakota State . In fact, in those 17 starts Lance attempted more than 25 passes just twice and when you remove those games, he attempted just 16 passes a game. "No, Trey is not a late bloomer," he said, each syllable strung like barbed wire. He has an NFL-ready frame and a cannon for an arm, and McShay has called him "the best quarterback prospect [he has] seen come out of college since Andrew Luck in 2012." The 2022 and 2023 first-round picks were the price the 49ers paid last March to move up to No. "Is that my phone number or my jersey number? Meanwhile, down in southern California, rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater is dominating in the trenches for the Los Angeles Chargers, earning an insanely impressive 82.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade with only three sacks and two quarterback hits allowed. Before the season kicked off, however, Newman opted out because of COVID-19 concerns, so he didn't play a down for the Bulldogs. The 49ers used the No. He's less likely to make the wrong read, force a ball into coverage, or make a mistake, and, it turns out, he's a much better athlete than he's given credit for. Lance started 17 games for FCS North Dakota State, and 16 of them were as a redshirt freshman in 2019. Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance lead the way in a deep and talented quarterback class for the ages. Lance essentially played 10 quarters of meaningful football his rookie year, with two starts. As Lawrence and Wilson were named their team's starters, along with Mac Jones for the New England Patriots and eventually Justin Fields for the Chicago Bears and Davis Mills for the Houston Texans, Lance was unlike the majority of his rookie QB class and spent most of the season watching from the sidelines as Jimmy Garoppolo's backup. He also carried the ball 24 times for 120 yards in the two starts. Lance isnt starting, and hes hardly even playing, thanks to veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo holding down those duties for now, and head coach Kyle Shanahans insistence Garoppolo gives the Niners their best chance at winning. ", On the drive home, Trey was quiet. Year: Junior | Age: 21 | Career starts: 21 historically in the player's position group (Higher value represents better perfomance). Is it weird for an athlete to want to get better for the sheer challenge of it and not out of spite? Behind him, the QB2 for the 2021 rookie class is up for debate.