The first draft bombshell dropped by Adam Schefter came this morning after news of a Dolphins and 49ers trade emerged. The trade goes as follows: “Dolphins trading No. 3 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 12 pick, a 2021 third-round pick (SF’s comp pick for Robert Saleh hiring) and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, per sources.”
It’s obvious that the 49ers did not see Jimmy Garoppolo in their future, and after a poor Super Bowl performance in 2020 and an injury-riddled 2021 season, it is hard to blame them. The 49ers will have their pick of the litter in terms of quarterbacks with Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Mac Jones being on the board at number three (assuming Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson go #1 and #2). However, let’s narrow that list down to either Justin Fields or Trey Lance since I think Mac Jones would have been available to them at #12, their original pick. Both players will take a few seasons to truly develop into NFL-caliber quarterbacks as Lance has not played a full season since he was 18 years old and Fields has some processing issues he needs to kink out before he can lead an NFL system with maximum efficiency. The 49ers quarterback situation stood out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the NFC West, especially after the Rams acquired Matt Stafford; now with a roster filled with defensive talent the 49ers will add one of the top three quarterbacks in this loaded draft to headline their offense. Re-signing multiple starters this offseason including CB Jason Verrett, OT Trent Williams, and CB Emmanuel Mosely, it is obvious that the 49ers think of themselves as just a quarterback away. The re-signing of offensive tackle Trent Williams and the signing of free agent center Alex Mack truly spruces this offensive line up and will become a great tool in order for their new rookie quarterback to feel confident in the pocket.
Whoever is under center for the 49ers in the upcoming season the view is that he will be an improvement over Jimmy Garoppolo. Trey Lance is one of the best athletes in this class, possessing Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick qualities physically while also being able to throw absolute beauties 60 yards down the field. He has the raw talent and physical build to shine in a Shanahan offense but his limitations in terms of ball placement and progressions that can be ironed out over time. However, I do not think the 49ers organization has the time willing to put into the development of Lance if they do end up taking him. I think it would take at least two seasons for Lance to get up to speed with an NFL offense. Justin Fields is much more pro-ready than Lance and he is still an incredible athlete and can thrive in a west coast style offense. The main “problem” with Justin Fields’ play is his dependency on first reads and his overconfidence in his arm, both traits that can be fixed in the pros (and if there is any offense where I expect him to work out his struggles it’s this 49ers offense). I say “problem” because Ohio State’s offense was a first read heavy offense, so it is hard to knock a guy on his progressions when Fields rarely had to look past his first read. There is no doubt that the 49ers upcoming seasons can be filled with success once they figure out their quarterback situation, which it looks like they just did. The importance of having a young gunslinging leader under center in a division with Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Matt Stafford is at upmost importance for the 49er’s success.
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