San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN personality trashes 49ers' trade for Trey Lance

By Matthew Neschis | Last updated 8/14/23

Despite entering just his third season in the NFL, QB Trey Lance may be running out of time to prove he was worthy of the No. 3 overall pick.

Lance struggled mightily in the San Francisco 49ers' preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday — his first game action since suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 last season. The 23-year-old finished 10-of-15 for 112 yards and a touchdown, but the stat line is deceiving.

Lance looked hesitant throughout the game against the Raiders, routinely double-clutching the football and missing open receivers. His indecisiveness led to him being sacked three times on his first six drop-backs, as the 49ers went three-and-out in their first three drives of the game.

The Raiders helped Lance as much as they could, dropping two easy interceptions — one that turned into a miraculous touchdown in which the ball deflected off a defender and into the hands of 49ers tight end Ross Dwelley.

Niners score a wild TD

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The 49ers invested heavily in Lance when they traded up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to select the North Dakota State product. San Francisco gave up its 2021, 2022 and 2023 first-round picks, as well as a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, to the Miami Dolphins. That decision is now under heavy scrutiny.

"[The 49ers] got a terrible situation on their hands with this Trey Lance," former NFL player Marcus Spears said on Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Take." "This may go down as one of the worst trades in the draft in the history of the NFL. The fortunate point is Kyle Shanahan has done such a phenomenal job of getting his team ready to play and being so creative offensively that it hasn't shown in the win-loss column. But you lost a lot by going up to get Trey Lance."

Lance played infrequently as the backup quarterback in his rookie season, getting into six games (two starts) and throwing for 603 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed 57.7% of his passes and added 168 yards and a touchdown on the ground. After being named the starter heading into his second season, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during a 27-7 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.

Now entering his third season, Lance is hoping to shake off the rust and win the starting quarterback job. The early results have not been promising. Besides Lance, the 49ers have veteran Sam Darnold and 2022 rookie sensation Brock Purdy, the presumptive starter, at quarterback.

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