49ers assistant Clancy Pendergast will leave for USC

The connections to some of the all-time great safeties are strong for 49ers rookie Talanoa Hufanga as he begins his NFL career. Hufanga, who was selected by the 49ers in Round 5 of the 2021 NFL Draft after a standout career as a safety at USC, is currently at 49ers facilities with other members of his draft class as he prepares for rookie minicamp this weekend (Friday-Saturday). He spoke to reporters on Wednesday about his relationship to three legendary safeties in particular in Troy Polamalu, 49ers legend Ronnie Lott, and 49ers general manager John Lynch. Hufanga first spoke about Polamalu, with whom he has a well-documented relationship after the

The 2021 NFL Draft is in the books, which means it's time for the "experts" to hand out their annual grades of each team's new rookie class. Below are the grades issued by some of the more well-known analysts and writers within the media and what they had to say about the San Francisco 49ers' newest crop of rookies. Included are quotes from each analyst's explanation for the awarded grade. 49ers Draft Picks Round 1: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Round 2: Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Round 3: Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Round 3: Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan Round 5: Jaylon Moore, OT, Western Michigan Round 5: Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon Round 5: Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Round 6: Elijah Mitchell, RB,

NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson is a fan of the San Francisco 49ers selecting quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. Many people are, considering there were rampant rumors that the team might seemingly reach by selecting Mac Jones. Lance has the potential to be one of the toughest quarterbacks to defend in the coming years, and Robinson feels the young passer will eventually elevate head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense to another level. "Look, first of all, the skill set of Trey Lance takes this Kyle Shanahan offense over the top to a championship level, to heights I don't think Kyle Shanahan has seen," Robinson said on NFL Network (h/t

Trey Lance is excited about the opportunity to join the San Francisco 49ers. He was the No. 3 overall pick, and the young quarterback knows it is a unique situation. Most teams selecting at the top of the draft are doing so because the roster lacks an abundance of talent. That isn't the case for the Niners, who are just over a year removed from a Super Bowl appearance. San Francisco had a championship-caliber roster last season. Injuries just decimated its depth. This offseason, the team brought back most of the players it wanted back. With some good luck on the injury front, Lance is walking into a better situation than most who were drafted in the top five. The team, after all, traded up to get him. And, it already has a veteran quarterback ahead of him, taking some of the