San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward didn't want to choose one quarterback when asked who is the toughest to go against in practice—Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo. Although, Ward acknowledged that he faced Lance, who ran the scout team, more than Garoppolo last season.
While he wasn't prepared to declare one better than the other, Ward admitted that facing Lance on the practice field can be a frustrating experience. However, his reasoning bodes well for the 49ers' future. Lance is expected to be the starter come Week 1 of the 2022 season.
"Trey will piss you off at practice, man," Ward said via Instagram Live (h/t TheSFNiners). "The only reason Trey piss you off at practice, obviously, because he'll probably complete a pass, and then he'll look at you. And that pisses DBs off.
"But he'll piss you off because he'll move out the pocket and throw the ball. And in our head, we be thinking it's time on the clock, so if he throws the ball and it's a scramble route—we've been covering probably for six or seven, eight seconds, and then somebody will catch the ball.
"And you know you've got to get coached on that s--t, and your coach gonna tell you, 'Finish the play.' Like, the man was sacked two times."
Lance brings a different skill set to the offense than Garoppolo. Lance has even admitted that he enjoys moving around and letting plays develop. The team liked the young quarterback's potential so much that it traded a haul of draft picks last year to move up to the No. 3 overall pick to get him. That left the 49ers without a first-round pick until 2024. Their first selection in this year's draft doesn't come until pick No. 61 in the second round.
Lance spent most of last season as Garoppolo's backup, appearing in just 178 snaps, including two starts. He finished his rookie campaign 41-of-71 (57.7 percent) for 603 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions through six game appearances.