There is no doubt that Trey Lance is a big question mark on the San Francisco 49ers roster for the upcoming season. We've only seen two starts from last year's No. 3 overall pick and just 71 pass attempts. Still, even if there are growing pains in his second NFL season, there is enough talent around the 22-year-old quarterback to win.
NFL Media analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks recently held a fantasy draft. It didn't involve players, though—at least, not individually. The two alternated selecting the teams that they feel are most likely to win the most Super Bowls over the next five years.
Brooks selected the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams with the No. 1 overall pick. Jeremiah followed that up by choosing the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2. Then the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys came off the board.
With the No. 6 overall pick, Jeremiah went with the 49ers. And the possibility of Lance starting over the next five years didn't make him waver about the choice.
"Do I think that Jimmy Garoppolo was a special, dynamic, elite quarterback? No," Jeremiah told Brooks. "Do I think that team was in the postseason with him consistently, that team was in the Super Bowl with him? I actually think Trey Lance—I said it when they drafted him—I think he can give them something that they have not had. He can take that group to another level."
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Lance won't have to do it alone. Jeremiah likes the roster that head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have assembled in Santa Clara.
"You look on the defensive side of the ball, I don't think there's a pass rusher in the league I would take over Nick Bosa going forward," Jeremiah shared. "I know that there's some [other] dynamic guys [on other teams]. I get Myles Garrett. But man, I've seen Nick Bosa just wreck games; just completely wreck them.
"So you've got a young superstar pass rusher. You've got the best scheme in football. Everybody's mimicking Kyle Shanahan, but there's still only one Kyle Shanahan. So you've got that going. You've got other dynamic players on that offense that you can mix in. Deebo Samuel, obviously [they need] to get that thing worked out going forward."
The 49ers offense should be talented enough to score points even with a quarterback change, especially if you have a happy Deebo on the field. The interior of the offensive line is another question mark, but the team bolstered other areas this offseason, including the defensive secondary.
"They're going to score points, and they're going to rush the passer, so that's kind of what I'm sticking with," Jeremiah added. "Now, I'm buying on Trey Lance blind a little bit here. I know we haven't seen it, but I know, worst-case scenario, Buck, they are going to bludgeon people on the ground with him. So that's why I'm going to go with the 49ers."
While it took him by surprise, Brooks can't argue with Jeremiah's selection of the 49ers. He likes the roster too.
"They're going to be in the conversation," Brooks said. "And to be on this list, you need to have a team that you can look at and say, 'Will this team always be in the discussion?' You can say that the 49ers are going to be in the conversation."
