Last week's trade forced draft analysts to tear up their mock drafts and start over — at least, start over from the No. 3 overall pick. The Miami Dolphins used to be slotted there. Now, it's the San Francisco 49ers. Make no mistake, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are seeking a quarterback of the future. Who they are leaning towards remains a mystery.
NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein released his latest mock draft and has selections No. 1 and 2 going as expected, with Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the New York Jets.
At No. 3, Zierlein has San Francisco selecting former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, who, for now, seems to be the favorite at that spot.
"Lance was the projected selection for the 49ers in my mock draft 1.0, when they held the No. 12 pick," wrote Zierlein, "so it won't be a surprise if he's the player they're targeting after trading up. He's such a perfect fit for Kyle Shanahan's offense."
Other options could be Justin Fields of Ohio State or Mac Jones of Alabama. Or, perhaps something truly wild happens, and the Jets opt not to select Wilson at No. 2.
Zierlein recently discussed the match of Lance to the 49ers during a discussion on the Jake Atman Show and why it doesn't necessarily mean Jimmy Garoppolo will be pushed out this offseason.
"I think that Kyle Shanahan believes he's found the quarterback that fits his offense, and I think it's going to be Trey Lance," Zierlein said. "But if it is Trey Lance, it certainly is not likely that he would be a guy that you would hope would play this year. He clearly needs more seasoning, more work, more experience. But he fits what Kyle Shanahan does."