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Trey Lance
came in at No. 38 in NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms' ranking of the top 40 NFL quarterbacks. By comparison, New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones sits at No. 30 on the list. Kellen Mond, a third-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, sits one spot ahead of Lance, at No. 37.
Jimmy Garoppolo is
ranked No. 21.
Simms has been somewhat critical of the San Francisco 49ers' selection of Lance. It's not that the analyst dislikes the 21-year-old quarterback. He just has questions about Lance, mostly due to the level of competition he played against at North Dakota State.
In his latest
Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, Simms was asked by a fan whether he liked or disliked Lance's ability to use his feet to make things happen on offense. The analyst has seemingly been complimentary and critical of that specific skill from Lance.
"I've always liked his running ability," Simms explained. "I think it's overrated, I guess is what I'm saying. I'd like to see it, yeah. ... The competition was less than (great). I mean, he's playing linebackers that are me. Sorry. And
me is not that impressive at linebacker.
"I felt like [his running ability] was overblown during the draft process. He's certainly athletic and can be, yes, a really dangerous runner running the football on, especially with (Kyle) Shanahan's schematics behind it and all of that.
"I mean, people at first were trying to make him like he was Lamar Jackson. That's probably where I got this guy (asking the question) thinking the wrong thing, where I was going, 'Wait, everybody pump the brakes. He's not Lamar Jackson here.' I mean, Lamar Jackson was doing it against Florida State with Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James. And they were chasing him, and they couldn't tackle him. Sorry, I haven't seen that from Trey Lance."
I'm not sure how many people were comparing Lance's running ability to Jackson. That certainly wasn't the case with some of the more reputable scouting reports on the quarterback leading into the draft. But apparently, Simms heard that somewhere.
"Yes, I think [Lance is] going to be a good runner," Simms added. "I'm just saying, let's pump the brakes on calling him Lamar or Michael Vick quit yet."
You can listen to the entire podcast below. The discussion surrounding Lance begins at about the 58-minute mark.
Austin Jones, the running back who spent three seasons with Stanford and the past two with USC, was among the 44 players in attendance at the San Francisco 49ers local pro day on April 10. Justin Melo of The Draft Network reports that the Bay Area team is keeping tabs on the Pac-12 standout.
After attending #Raiders, #49ers and
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
