When Trey Lance speaks to the media, it's easy to forget that he is only 21 years old. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan nearly forgot how young the quarterback was when the two first met and shared the anecdote after Thursday's practice.
"The first time we talked to him, we were going to offer him a beer, and then I realized I'd be supplying a minor (he was 20 at the time), so we definitely didn't," Shanahan shared. "So you forget about [his age]. He's mature. He doesn't look like a 21-year-old—maybe in his face. But he definitely acts a lot more wise than that, or at least [more than] I was at 21."
Shanahan is excited to see Lance step onto the football field on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. This morning, the coach revealed that the rookie would take over after one series from Jimmy Garoppolo and the starters. Lance will likely play the remainder of the first half.
Lance has shown flashes during training camp. Now it's time to see what he can do against players who aren't his teammates. Shanahan admits that there isn't much pressure for the quarterback to excel, though. Not in a preseason game, at least.
"I'm excited to see him play, just like everyone else is," Shanahan said. "It's fun to watch quarterbacks go out there for the first time and stuff, but I don't get nervous for the person or anything like that because I think it's fun to watch. I know no one's going to remember his first preseason game. They will the next day, and that's alright."
Shanahan also shared that he feels fairly confident that Lance will be part of the 53-man roster, no matter what happens on Saturday.
"I know rookies get some butterflies and stuff, and it is a big deal for them," Shanahan continued, "but the reality of it is that it isn't. It's an experience for them. I think Trey's going to make the team, so he doesn't have to go out there and freak out about that, but he knows a lot of eyes will be on him."
That probably wasn't much of a concern among the fanbase. The No. 3 overall draft pick is pretty much a lock to make the team. With his roster spot secure, Shanahan wants Lance to use his first NFL outing as a learning experience and not worry about the types of things that many rookies worry about in their first on-field action.
"Sometimes those guys want to go out there and make some plays and show everyone what to be excited about," Shanahan added. "And I just always try to tell them it's just like practice, except they can hit you. So just calm down and just do your job like you try to do out here every day because that's what quarterback is going to be every single day of your life until you're done playing."
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