Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus made nine predictions for the 2021 NFL rookie class. One involved Trey Lance.
The San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback will play this season. He may not be the starter come Week 1. He may not even start this season (many view that as highly unlikely, though). But Lance will get on the football field. The Niners' head coach confirmed that last week.
"Trey's going to play for us this year [and] I know you guys are all running to Twitter on that, but I mean, situationally, he's gonna get plays," Kyle Shanahan told reporters.
And yes, everyone did rush to tweet that out.
Shanahan added: "That doesn't mean he's going to go start or anything, but he's going to get plays."
Many of those plays are expected to be specifically designed for Lance. They will likely take advantage of the rookie's unique athleticism and provide something Jimmy Garoppolo can't.
That's where Treash's prediction comes in. The analyst projects Lance to rack up over 500 yards on designed rushing plays. That doesn't mean over 500 yards overall. It means over 500 yards on plays specifically designed for Lance to move the football with his legs.
"There are reasons to be concerned with his accuracy and ability to win with his arm every week, especially early on, but few players at the position can match what he brings with his legs," wrote Treash.
"The FCS product found immense success in the designed run game at North Dakota State, picking up a 10-plus-yard gain on 32 of his 154 designed rushes. Obviously, the level of competition has a lot to do with that, but it goes to show what he can accomplish on the ground."
Lance proved himself a capable rusher in 2019—his only full collegiate season. In addition to his 2,786 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, Lance also rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 trips into the end zone. Even though it wasn't against top-tier talent, that's still impressive and likely put Shanahan's imagination in overdrive.
"Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton are the only quarterbacks who have racked up over 500 yards on designed runs at the NFL level since PFF began tracking the metric," Treash added. "Lance could very well join the two."
