Quarterback Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in April, got a good amount of work during his weeks of practices with his new team. Fowler explained the Niners' focus in the early portion of the rookie's development (h/t to Patrick Tulini).
"I'm told San Fran spent much of the OTAs and minicamp working on Trey Lance's mechanics, making sure things were compact," Fowler said via Riley Gates of 247 Sports. "And the reason is they wanted to get that down so that in training camp they can unleash the full arsenal. They can show him off as a runner."
Lance was an exceptional athlete during his limited playing time at North Dakota State. Kyle Shanahan fell in love with the idea of adding Lance to his offense in January, shortly after the end of the regular season. The 49ers head coach saw all the makings of a good passing quarterback. The fact that Lance could be a dual-threat with his running ability was a bonus.
"They don't want to put him in harm's way and have him take too many hits," Fowler continued. "But they love the dimension he can bring to Kyle Shanahan's attack because they couldn't do it with Jimmy Garoppolo. They could do it with Lance as a runner and a passer."
While Garoppolo is slated to be the 49ers' starter for the upcoming season, Lance is clearly the quarterback of the future. San Francisco was aggressive in acquiring Lance. The team initially owned the No. 12 overall pick but traded up nine spots to draft the former Bison quarterback, surrendering first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins in the process.
Lance appeared in just one college game last season due to the pandemic. However, he threw for 2,786 yards in 2019 while rushing for an impressive 1,100 yards and accounting for 42 touchdowns. Lance didn't throw an interception in his 287 pass attempts during that sophomore season.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers' Jauan Jennings training with renowned receivers coach this offseason
While the San Francisco 49ers struggled to secure just six wins last season, Jauan Jennings had his most productive campaign to date. He set career highs in targets (113), receptions (77), receiving yards (975), and touchdowns (6). Now entering the final year of his contract,... -
Projection of Early Return of 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk Continues to Gain Traction
The big story of the 2024 pre-season in San Francisco was the long, arduous contract negotiation involving 49ers' star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. By the beginning of the regular season, his contract was done, but the drama continued. Aiyuk was viewed by some 49er fans... -
Kyle Shanahan Sees Tight End Luke Farrell As Prime 49ers Roster Asset
There are certainly other higher-profile roster moves taking place in San Francisco these days, but one of the lesser talked about changes may have a bigger impact on the 49ers' offense this year than some might expect. Three weeks ago, the 49ers signed free-agent tight end... -
Mock draft roundup: PFF, TDN, CBS Sports, and The 33rd Team project 49ers' moves
Mock draft season is in full swing, and several top news and analysis outlets have released their latest projections for the 2025 NFL Draft. Among them are Pro Football Focus (PFF), The Draft Network (TDN), CBS Sports, and The 33rd Team. Here's a look at what these analysts...