49ers legend Jerry Rice shares interesting Brock Purdy, Trey Lance takes

San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice seems high on both Brock Purdy and Trey Lance as the club prepares to enter August without a confirmed starting quarterback. 

"I think the thing is, with Brock, he deserves to be the starter," Rice said during the latest edition of the "49ers Talk with Matt Maiocco" podcast, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. 

Purdy, last season's rookie sensation, won seven straight starts before he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 23-year-old underwent surgery on March 10 and reportedly is on track to play at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 on Sept. 10. 

"That injury that happened in Philadelphia, if that injury hadn't happened, I felt like we were going to win the whole thing last year," Rice continued. "(Purdy has) got that starting position, but just in case something happens to him, Trey Lance has got to be ready to go." 

By most accounts, Lance will begin the preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 13 third on the depth chart among preferred options behind both Purdy and free-agency signing Sam Darnold. Rice indicated Lance impressed during offseason practices, thanks in part to spending time working alongside Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.

"I heard he made significant progress during the offseason," Rice said of Lance. "I saw him doing stuff with Patrick Mahomes and doing all that. It's great competition, but I think the third [QB] is going to be Sam Darnold."

Lance, 23, is a 2021 first-round draft pick who has attempted only 102 career regular-season passes and who is coming off the campaign-ending ankle injury he suffered last September that required him to have multiple surgeries. Earlier this month, 49ers dual-threat offensive weapon Deebo Samuel noted that Lance showed "significant improvement" during minicamp, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk later poured cold water over any idea that those inside the locker room aren't fans of the young signal-caller. 

It's possible individuals such as Rice are being fed specific information in attempts to bolster Lance's trade value this summer. With that said, it sounds like multiple in-the-know people expect Lance to turn heads for positive reasons during preseason games next month.