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Who should the 49ers have drafted instead of Trey Lance in 2021?
TL;DR
The San Francisco 49ers' selection of Trey Lance in 2021 is considered a major draft mistake, as he only started four games before being traded. Instead, they should have drafted linebacker Micah Parsons at No. 3.
Key points
- 49ers selected Trey Lance at No. 3 in 2021 draft
- Lance only started four games in two seasons
- 49ers could have drafted Micah Parsons instead
- Lance was traded to Dallas for a fourth-round pick
- 49ers gave up significant draft capital to move up
Trey LanceMicah ParsonsBrock PurdyJimmy Garoppolo
Perhaps the biggest draft blunder committed by the San Francisco 49ers in the past 25 years was the selection of North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance in 2021. The 49ers spent a pretty penny to move up to No. 3 and ended up only seeing four starts in eight games from Lance.
Now, some of that was due to injury, Lance's rookie development and the emergence of Brock Purdy, but the point still stands that this was a wasted pick — all things considered. Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox went through all 32 teams' worst draft picks since 2000 to figure out what each team should have done instead, knowing hindsight is 20/20.
For the 49ers, it was a pretty simple decision: Take linebacker Micah Parsons at No. 3 instead of Lance.
The San Francisco 49ers' 2021 selection of Trey Lance was so bad that if the team hadn't stumbled into Brock Purdy a year later, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan might have both gotten fired.
The entire process of drafting Lance was a risky gamble. San Francisco traded the 12th overall pick in the draft along with first- and third-round picks in 2022 and a 2023 first-round pick to move up to No. 3 overall. The 49ers made the move while looking for a quarterback but without knowing which ones would still be on the board at No. 3.
Shanahan and Lynch settled on Lance, a one-year starter at North Dakota State, who possessed elite athletic upside but limited experience against quality competition. The gamble did not pay off.
Q&A
Why was Trey Lance considered a draft blunder for the 49ers?
Trey Lance was seen as a draft blunder because he started only four games in two seasons and was ultimately traded after failing to secure the starting quarterback position.
Who should the 49ers have drafted instead of Trey Lance?
The 49ers should have drafted linebacker Micah Parsons at No. 3 overall instead of Trey Lance.
What did the 49ers give up to draft Trey Lance?
The 49ers traded the 12th overall pick, along with first- and third-round picks in 2022 and a 2023 first-round pick to move up to No. 3 overall for Trey Lance.
