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It's only been a week since Trey Lance was drafted No. 3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers. However, one ESPN analyst, Matt Miller, is already touting the young quarterback as a potential 2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
It is worth noting that Miller is a lifelong 49ers fan, so that may influence his opinion. But there is certainly a lot of excitement surrounding Lance's potential within head coach Kyle Shanahan's creative offense.
Mel Kiper went with Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts as his choice. Todd McShay went with Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris. Louis Riddick picked Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
"Great choices guys, but this is still a quarterback league,"
Miller responded during the SportsCenter segment (h/t to
Alex Espinoza of NBC Sports for the find), "and Trey Lance is going to the best possible situation for a rookie quarterback with all the weapons they have, the mind of Kyle Shanahan, a very good offensive line."
It's tough to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors if you don't play, and most don't figure Lance to play much during the upcoming season. That could include Shanahan. The 49ers held onto quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo because the team owns a win-now roster, and Lance won't have to be thrown into the situation before he is ready. He has the luxury of sitting and learning for at least a season. It's a blueprint that has worked in the past for teams like Kansas City, Green Bay, and even San Francisco.
"Jimmy's definitely our starter right now,"
Shanahan recently told Rich Eisen. "Right now, there isn't competition because I don't believe Trey would be in a position to compete. Jimmy is too good of a player, has too good of a grasp of our offense. He'll start out OTAs running, like he's done before, and he'll be the starting quarterback.
"I just see Trey coming in here, trying to learn everything, trying to learn his teammates, and we'll just see how it goes. I'm not going to sit here and say I'll never play a rookie quarterback. And I'm not going to say I will play him. That's kind of up to him."
Miller, however, believes a competition could emerge and that Lance may make his way into the starting lineup earlier than most expect.
"I do believe we see Trey Lance this year, and I think he has the type of year -- we're going to be looking at the Niners as a playoff team once again, and Trey Lance as our Offensive Rookie of the Year," added Miller.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked Lance as having the fifth-best chance to earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Trevor Lawrence, Chase, Pitts, and Zach Wilson were all seen as better potential options — again, due to the uncertainty surrounding Lance's playing time.
"This one is a wildcard bet because it hinges almost entirely on whether Lance starts this season,"
wrote analyst Michael Renner. "If he helms the 49ers offense in Week 1, Lance is neck and neck with Trevor Lawrence for the favorite. This is someone who has played one game of football in the past year, though, and is making the leap from FCS competition to the NFL. He goes to the single best situation for a rookie quarterback, however, as Shanahan made Robert Griffin III into the Rookie of the Year over Andrew Luck and
Russell Wilson back in 2012.
Matt Miller, a longtime San Francisco 49ers fan and ESPN analyst, recently conducted a mock draft using ESPN Analytics' mock draft simulator. Proud of his projections, Miller shared the results on social media.
Basically DOMINATED this mock draft for the 49ers.https://t.co/j7ag09VRAY pic.twitter.com/COOE0M1eku— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy achieved a remarkable feat in 2023, setting a single-season franchise record with 4,280 passing yards. This accomplishment is noteworthy, considering the illustrious quarterbacks who have graced the organization's history.
A significant portion of those yards came from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who amassed a career-high and team-leading 1,342 receiving yards. Most of his 75 catches originated from passes thrown by Purdy.
Amidst significant offseason chatter surrounding the 49ers' star receiver, including several unsubstantiated trade rumors, Aiyuk's future remains uncertain. Former NFL player James Jones, now an analyst, expressed concern for Purdy should Aiyuk's tenure in the Bay Area come to an end.
"I
The decision to trade up in the 2021 NFL Draft and select quarterback Trey Lance could have had significant consequences for general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. With the team lacking first-round picks in the last two drafts due to this move, and Lance no longer on the roster after being traded to the Dallas Cowboys before last season, it's clear the gamble didn't unfold as expected.
Lynch held his annual pre-draft press conference on Monday, reflecting on the decision to take such a big chance on Lance. While such a bold move might have jeopardized jobs elsewhere, Lynch and Shanahan were blessed with some good fortune in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Acknowledging the support of the team's ownership, Lynch stated, "They believe in Kyle and I, and our
If the San Francisco 49ers decide to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, it's likely to occur within the next four days—before or during Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite some unconfirmed rumors, there has been no concrete indication that a trade is imminent. Previously, the 49ers had expressed a desire to retain Aiyuk for the foreseeable future.
Aiyuk's agent, Ryan Williams, has swiftly refuted rumors, including one alleging that the receiver had requested a trade, claiming that the Pittsburgh Steelers were "aggressively pursuing" the receiver.
While no official trade request
