The 2021 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the first two picks are more or less set in stone. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are widely expected to be picked first and second respectively by the Jaguars and Jets. The big question has been what the 49ers will do at three, and their decision will set the table for the rest of the draft.
Now, we’re starting to get a better idea of what San Francisco is going to do. The 49ers are down to Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That would rule out Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who was seen as the other contender to be taken third overall. Jones is the favorite, while Lance has been not far behind through the process.
When the 49ers pulled off their shocking trade to move up to number three and draft an eventual Jimmy Garoppolo replacement, Jones quickly emerged as the rumored target. Some found it difficult to believe that Jones, unheralded as an NFL prospect before 2020, would really be Kyle Shanahan’s preference at number three.
But that’s what most of the reporting has consistently indicated, whether college football fans want to believe it or not. Many believe that Shanahan has fallen in love with Jones’ pocket presence and footwork. Lance is the far superior athlete, and is viewed as having sky-high upside while at the same time possibly being a riskier proposition.
The news also means Fields will be there for the taking for the Falcons if they want him at four, or for a potential trade partner with Atlanta. There are still a few days until the draft kicks off on Thursday, but things are beginning to take shape.
The Falcons should trade out of 4 and get more draft capital.
Definitely. It’s their lotto ticket to rebuild faster
Unless someone is trading a 49ers level package to get a QB the Falcons should stay put. They will have their pick of any non-QB in the draft. That doesn’t happen often.
I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that team that leaks nothing all of a sudden is leaking who their pick is or who it’s down to. It’s clear it’ll be one of those 3 guys but don’t buy that anyone knows anything and it’s all speculation. The Mac Jones stuff is then knowing it’ll be one of 3 and knowing he’s had success with QBs like Mac Jones so saying he’s the favorite because they think that’s who he will want.
These writers have no idea what the 49ers will do. They may very well be right but only by coincidence. I mean, there’s only 3 right?
It’s Lance. His travel arrangements have already been made.
Gross
Draft night will tell it all can’t wait until we take a qb not named jones
Shanahan and Lynch should be fired based on pure arrogance alone if they take one of these two and they don’t outplay Fields 100 times over. It should 100% cost them their job
See: Chicago Bears.
I don’t disagree with you, however the same was being said about Lynch his first year in the job and before you know it they’re in the SB.
I’ll give Lynch the benefit of the doubt considering he’s a GM and I’m just a couch GM.
They (admittedly) made the EXACT same mistake when they passed on both Watson and Mahomes (for a huge bust). There’s zero excuse to give up that type of draft capital for a low ceiling risk when he could have possibly fallen to you in the first place (or you could have conceivably saved picks and only moved up a couple spots to get him). If Mac Jones is the pick, he needs to be the best QB in the class for it to be warranted. If he’s only an average player and gets outplayed by one of Fields/Lance because of Shanahan’s arrogance (which in his defense is probably justified because he’s an exceptional coach), then they need to be fired.
I would hate to see it because I think they’re both very good at what they do, but it would be absolutely inexcusable to do this TWICE.
My question is why is there so much trust in them? They’ve only won 5 games tops in their other seasons outside of the Super Bowl year in a pretty weak conference since Tom Brady waltzed right in and walked to another title from the NFC. And save me the excuse of the injuries. Every team has injuries. When they went 13-3, the whole conference was down across the board outside of the Saints who were playing with their handicap of Brees falling apart every year after November the last five years. I just don’t think these guys are as smart as they think they are. Everyone in that division has someone else number, and the NFC won’t be as putrid as it was last year. I see another 7-9 season tops for them.
“And save me the excuse of the injuries” there wasn’t one team in the National Football League with anywhere near the multitude of injuries the 49ers had for the duration of the season. That is directly the reason for their performance last year. It’s honestly astonishing they even won 5 games.
idiots
I rather stay with Jimmy G. then waste 2 first rounder with Jones.
All wrong! 9ers are drafting Georgia punter Jake Camarda, then turning him into a wide receiver who will be a dual weapon threat for years to come
FINALLY! Someone making some sense.
That’s what I’m talking about! Haha. Imagine if they shock everyone and don’t even take a QB? They take Pitts? Or a WR or a RB or OL lol be wild. Not gonna happen but Woolf be so crazy. I just laugh at these reports saying sources or insiders as if this team has ever leaked anything. Must suck trying to figure out what they are doing and having to guess hoping they are right lol
Sarah Fuller, kicker from Vanderbilt
I love how everyone here has acted like they spent more than 10 minutes studying film and acting like they know what a better pick is.
right, because us “amatures” always get it wrong. some teams do dumb things. very good reason to believe this is such a move.
Amateur?
Amatour
Amore Tour
Mann, the 49ers about to mess them selves up for years to come with this pick…. I don’t see Mac being much more than a David Carr/ Jon Kitna type Qb, Trey Lance looks like he could be a Carson Palmer or a Carson Wentz/ Jared Goff (the bad ones)
The whole draft is going to need to be re-thought once the Jets screw up the 2nd pick.
I’m blown away that they traded up without knowing who they were trading up to get…
The pick has always been Trey Lance for SF at #3. They have been laughing at all of the Mac Jones stuff. Some football “insiders” looking kinda silly on the Mac Jones stuff. I thought Jones was already the pick at #3 and that SF moved up just to take him? Schefter and Daniel Jeremiah both previously have said their sources say Mac Jones. Now it’s down to Lance or Jones? So they didn’t know who they were taking when they made the trade? Once they knew the Jets were taking Wilson SF knew the #3 pick would get them Lance. Mac Jones is going to fall all the way to the Bears at #20.
Picking Lance over Jones (much less over Fields and Jones) is comical at best and firable at worst. Lance is a shot in the dark that you have no business wasting a premium pick on.
Fields.
Trey Lance is the pick!!!! NFL offenses more and more look like college offenses. Trey Lance is a big and physical runner, so he brings the run tool and may have the biggest arm in the draft. SF came within a play of winning a Super Bowl with Jimmy Garrapolo not throwing any passes. Lance can run and paired with an elite defense SF thinks he has a chance to be special for them. If a QB can keep drives alive and move the chains with his legs …. he can be very effective in keeping Pat Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers on the bench rather than trying to get into a shootout with those dudes. Trey Lance is the pick! Mac Jones is a 3rd round talent. He will be a bust wherever he goes which will likely be to the Bears at #20 because Ryan Pace is dumb like that.
DarkSide830 –
I agree that Lance is the riskiest pick of the bunch. He’s only played one season of games against a bunch of teams that no one has ever heard of. To me, this is the equivalent of drafting Steve McNair from Alcorn State. Sure, he ended up being a solid QB, but he did have to basically sit a couple years first. And there is absolutely no guarantee that Lance will pan out nearly as well, either. Hard to take that kind of gamble and wait that long to find out if the kid has what it takes when you’ve given up so much in trade.
I gotta believe it’s Lance. I thought it would be Lance from the moment they traded up, and I still believe that. He has the athletisism to make the 49ers offense lethal with read options and such, plus a cannon for an arm. The 49ers are one of the most well-coached teams in the league, so they can maximize his potential. He can sit behind Jimmy G for at least until the trade deadline, then take over.
Risky pick considering he has 400 college snaps against lower level competition to his name. It’s basically like taking a kid right out of high school and thinking he’s an NFL prospect. Just think how many people thought Josh Rosen was a sure pick off of more snaps against better competition after his freshman year, and then he got worse and worse and then busted in the league. However, they went out of their way to sign him too, so they probably are just stupid.
How did all the snaps Marcus Mariotta took at Oregon work out for him? Blake Bortles? I can go on and on.
QB is already hard to prospect. Just saying how can you make a decision to trade up for all of this capital for a guy who has 400 snaps. Btw, I didn’t like either of them either, so that doesn’t excuse the riskiness of this. Also, do you trust their QB evaluation? They passed on both Mahomes and Watson and couldn’t see that those were not only NFL caliber starters, but very high-end ones. I know after that draft, Bruce Arians admitted they would have taken Mahomes that year here in our local media in Phoenix, not four years later like the people who are saying they always knew. So did Sean Payton. He even told Brees that they would take a QB if he was at their pick before the Chiefs jumped them.
Very Barry –
Oh, you mean that every single top prospect doesn’t pan out? Wow, you just blew my mind. It’s about odds and percentages, Barry. There are always exceptions to every rule.
Watch the 49ers trade this pick on draft night
MJones = Trubisky 2.0
Unfortunate to still see privilege at the QB level…
Privilege? Why the hell does that have to do with it? Some coaches and GM (most) just have their preference in type of players they want. Doesn’t mean it has anything to do with “privilege”. Not sure why eveyone now a days has to go there. Ridiculous. Not to mention these “insiders” or “sources” have no idea what they are even talking about. This teams not talking, they never do! Look at every move they’ve made, not one thing leaked. It’s all a guessing game.
Unfortunate to still see privilege at the QB level? What does this even mean? Thronson5 I think u maybe jumping to conclusions here. No way he saying what it sounds like.
j817 –
I’m as confused as you are by that comment. Perhaps “privilege” has a different meaning in Singapore??
A couple good black qbs and all of the sudden you gotta call for the Rooney rule 2.0 take a hike jamarcus
Can’t handle 3 white QBs going 1, 2, 3.
Never mention Jamarcus again. He must accept discommendation.
Any chance it’s Kyle Pitts ? Why didn’t they trade Jimmy or release him? Jimmy is still young and wouldn’t command nearly that much money after this contract.
Maybe they were afraid another team would go up to three take a QB and then Atlanta goes for Pitt. Bengals and Miami might also take Pitts. Shanahan has his two tight end set just like Belichick. Draft day frenzy commotion Atlanta suddenly doesn’t know exactly what to do.
Yo if they take Pitts, the entire analyst booth will explode. Kiper will be stuck on loop “Todd Todd Todd Todd” they’ll cut to Gruden in the draft room spinning around in his chair whispering “Y 2 Banana”, the Corona Hotline will be overloaded, and they probably will cause a nationwide blackout.
I don’t think it’s crazy they take Pitts. That would throw the whole draft into chaos. Potential trades, picks everything. For top 10.
That’s what I mean. Whole draft changes. Would be amazing.
This teams window is now and I don’t see Lance or Jones being an upgrade over Jimmy G this year or next.
Phillyballers –
That was an awesome comment, my friend. I’m LMAO over here!
Mac Jones at #3 lol
Trey Lance at #3 is ridiculous too!
Secretsatan –
If you’re right, congratulations. If you’re wrong, I hope you have the courage to show up on the draft night message boards and admit to everyone that your arrogant LOL predictions were foolish, along with the rest of these armchair GM’s that are so sure of themselves
So dumb
If the 49ers don’t take Mac Jones, I hope the Patriots trade up for him.
Might cost this year’s first and second, plus next year’s first.
BBC
Hasselbeck believes Mac Jones is the 5th best QB in this draft or the worst 1st round talent of the QBs that will be selected. Pretty much Gospel.
Was it the Hasselbeck who somehow convinced the cute blond from Survivor to marry him, or the Hasselbeck who famously claimed “we want the ball, and we’re gonna score” and then promptly threw a pick-6 on his first pass to lose the OT playoff game vs Green Bay? I have more faith in the first one LOL
I’d be more than a little surprised if it was Mac Jones. It’s one thing to draft Jones. It’s an entirely different thing to trade down to draft Jones. The 9ers might have been able to trade to #6 for the same pick.
Much like the Giants drafting Barkley & Jones where they did, I don’t question the pick so much as I question handling the value of the pick.
I don’t understand all of the Lance hype in this comment section. I mean I think he has the potential and the talent to be a top-tier NFL QB someday, but a year ago Jordan Love was the raw QB prospect with a high-ceiling like Lance is this year. Many of y’all have ragged on the Packers for making Love a first-round pick KNOWING that Rodgers has a concerning injury history, not unlike Jimmy G. So, pray tell, how is Lance the better pick at #3 this year than Love was at #26 last year?
Just because Love was a bad pick at #26 doesn’t have anything to do with Lance.
Because pundits told them so. It’s pretty comical if you look back through time at some of these busters they’ve hyped up. I remember that draft where these people were seriously saying Blaine Gabbert should have gone over Cam Newton, and I could see just from being a college football watcher that Gabbert wasn’t even a first rounder and probably not a viable starter because he flinched at pressure when he was at Missouri. There are millions more examples through the years.