The San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the decision apparently came down to one reason.
During an appearance on Monday’s edition of the “I Am Athlete” podcast, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the team’s choice for the third overall pick in 2021 was between Lance and Mac Jones.
Shanahan also revealed that Lance’s potential was the main reason as to why he drafted Lance over Jones.
“Mac had so much good stuff on tape the way he played, and Trey — I loved what he put on tape,” Shanahan said. “The more you dive into it, the more I got to find out some stuff about [Lance], the more I believed in what I didn’t see and what I believe we will see.”
Compared to Lance, Jones was the more accomplished quarterback coming out of college. Jones threw for 6,126 yards and 56 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 30 games at Alabama. Lance had 2,947 yards and 30 touchdowns to one interception in 19 games at North Dakota State.
With Lance set to start for the 49ers this season after playing in just six games in 2021, Shanahan will finally get a chance to see if the young signal-caller can fulfill that potential.
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