How trading up for Lance in 2021 draft ultimately didn’t derail 49ers

SANTA CLARA — Perhaps, there was no correct answer once the 49ers made the decision to trade up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. At the time, it was viewed as a franchise-changing decision that would define careers and determine the fate of the organization. It did not work out for the 49ers. Yet those who made the decision did not lose their jobs and the team did not experience any rough times. That's what happens when the final pick in the draft outperforms the top quarterbacks from the previous year. "Thank God for Mr. Irrelevant," 49ers general manager John Lynch said Monday. "He helped us." Obviously, that's an understatement. Quarterback Brock Purdy saved the 49ers. The 49ers sought a franchise quarterback with the selection of Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021. They traded away their next two first-round selections to move up from their scheduled pick at No. 12 overall. San Francisco has a first-round draft pick this year. They will not choose a quarterback with that selection. Instead, they will be looking to continue building around the most unlikely of franchise quarterbacks. It was not long ago that the 49ers envisioned Lance as the likely face of...