Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Trey Lance came in at No. 38 in NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms’ ranking of the top 40 NFL quarterbacks. By comparison, New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones sits at No. 30 on the list. Kellen Mond, a third-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, sits one spot ahead of Lance, at No. 37.
Jimmy Garoppolo is ranked No. 21.
Simms has been somewhat critical of the San Francisco 49ers’ selection of Lance. It’s not that the analyst dislikes the 21-year-old quarterback. He just has questions about Lance, mostly due to the level of competition he played against at North Dakota State.
In his latest Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, Simms was asked by a fan whether he liked or disliked Lance’s ability to use his feet to make things happen on offense. The analyst has seemingly been complimentary and critical of that specific skill from Lance.
“I’ve always liked his running ability,” Simms explained. “I think it’s overrated, I guess is what I’m saying. I’d like to see it, yeah. … The competition was less than (great). I mean, he’s playing linebackers that are me. Sorry. And me is not that impressive at linebacker.
“I felt like [his running ability] was overblown during the draft process. He’s certainly athletic and can be, yes, a really dangerous runner running the football on, especially with (Kyle) Shanahan’s schematics behind it and all of that.
“I mean, people at first were trying to make him like he was Lamar Jackson. That’s probably where I got this guy (asking the question) thinking the wrong thing, where I was going, ‘Wait, everybody pump the brakes. He’s not Lamar Jackson here.’ I mean, Lamar Jackson was doing it against Florida State with Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James. And they were chasing him, and they couldn’t tackle him. Sorry, I haven’t seen that from Trey Lance.”
I’m not sure how many people were comparing Lance’s running ability to Jackson. That certainly wasn’t the case with some of the more reputable scouting reports on the quarterback leading into the draft. But apparently, Simms heard that somewhere.
“Yes, I think [Lance is] going to be a good runner,” Simms added. “I’m just saying, let’s pump the brakes on calling him Lamar or Michael Vick quit yet.”
You can listen to the entire podcast below. The discussion surrounding Lance begins at about the 58-minute mark.
More San Francisco 49ers News
Window is open for Trey Lance to win 49ers QB job, but it won’t be easy, says Shanahan
By Kirk Larrabee
Jun 11, 2021
Trey Lance won’t be automatically relegated to a backup role at quarterback this season just because he’s a rookie, but he’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants to prove he should be the starter over Jimmy Garoppolo.
The widespread assumption is that the veteran Garoppolo will start for the 49ers this season while the first-round pick Lance learns from the sidelines. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t be approaching the situation from that perspective once training camp gets underway in late July, at least not initially.
Shanahan spoke about that and a number of other topics during a conversation with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic on the most recent episode of Kawakami’s TK Show
Kyle Shanahan discusses having a dual-threat quarterback in 49ers rookie Trey Lance
By David Bonilla
Jun 12, 2021
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has a lot of confidence in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s ability to lead the San Francisco 49ers offense. That confidence may waver when it comes to depending on his veteran passer to be available for the majority of the season. That, not his skill set, led Shanahan and the 49ers to seek another quarterback in the draft.
In January, Shanahan fell in love with the idea of acquiring Trey Lance. He liked several of this year’s rookie quarterbacks, but it was the North Dakota State product who pushed him to want to trade up from No. 12 overall. So San Francisco did exactly that, moving up to No. 3 to select Lance, a prospect with little experience but huge upside.
Most assume that it is Lance’s athletic ability that drew Shanahan to the
George Kittle shares his favorite thing about 49ers rookie Trey Lance
By David Bonilla
Jun 15, 2021
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle joined Good Morning Football today and was asked about his new quarterback, rookie Trey Lance. The team concluded its offseason program last week, and won’t hit the practice field again until the end of July.
In April, the Niners traded a haul of future picks to move up to the No. 3 overall spot to select Lance. After finally being able to haul in some passes from the quarterback, Kittle has been impressed by the 21-year-old.
RELATED: George Kittle says Jimmy Garoppolo ‘has a fire lit under him,’ good dynamic with Trey Lance
“I think Trey, he has all the attributes to be a very
49ers’ George Kittle says Jimmy Garoppolo ‘has a fire lit under him,’ good dynamic with Trey Lance
By David Bonilla
Jun 15, 2021
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was a guest today on Good Morning Football and discussed several topics of interest. Among those topics was the dynamic between the team’s starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, and the rookie drafted at No. 3 overall to eventually succeed him, Trey Lance.
One would think that could create an awkward situation in the quarterback room and possibly the locker room. That hasn’t been the case for the 49ers, though. Garoppolo has been welcoming to the young quarterback and willing to serve as his mentor while preparing for the 2021 season.
“I know there was a story that came out that Jimmy Garoppolo was one of the first guys to text Trey Lance,” Kittle said. “That’s just the type of guy that Jimmy is. He’s not going
