Analyst predicts Trey Lance will guide 49ers to SBLVII berth

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN analyst predicts Trey Lance will guide 49ers to Super Bowl LVII berth

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 8/16/22

Unofficially speaking, 2021 rookie Trey Lance has only been the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers over veteran Jimmy Garoppolo since springtime workouts that Garoppolo spent away from the club recovering from March shoulder surgery.

Thus far, Lance has attempted only 71 career NFL regular-season passes. The 22-year-old connected on 41 of those throws (57.7%) for 603 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions, and he also contributed 168 rushing yards and one score on 38 attempts.

Lance did, however, widely impress in this past Friday's preseason-opening win over the Green Bay Packers. He hit on four of five passes for 92 yards and also delivered a perfect strike to wide receiver Danny Gray for a 76-yard touchdown:

IT'S TREY LANCE TIME IN SAN FRANCISCO ⏰

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/tBkgbuR5eJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 13, 2022

It appears that outing has ESPN personality and former NFL defensive end Chris Canty leading the Lance hype train heading into this coming Saturday's exhibition matchup at the Minnesota Vikings.

"I know you guys left me out of the bold prediction, but my bold prediction for this season is that the 49ers represent the NFC in the Super Bowl," Canty explained during Tuesday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "That's how confident I am in this 49ers team and the development of Trey Lance, because of who's doing it—Kyle Shanahan—and what's around him—the supporting cast.

"You're talking about a top-five run game, a top-five skill-position core, and a top-five defense. All the elements are there for Trey Lance to be successful, and the thing that Trey Lance brings is a couple of new dimensions to the offense. The vertical passing game. We saw it in the preseason game with the bomb he threw to Danny Gray. And then the quarterback as a focal point of the running game."

Canty added that he expects to see Lance produce a Most Valuable Player-caliber season in his first while in charge of the San Francisco offense. The last two campaigns suggest Aaron Rodgers of the Packers may have something to say about that, but it's quite clear that Canty is all-in on Lance this summer.

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