49ers’ Whiff On Trey Lance All-Timer Considering These Budding Stars

Trey Lance will go down as one of the biggest all-time whiffs in NFL history.

The 49ers made a trade with the Dolphins to jump from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Lance out of North Dakota State and bring him to San Francisco. Lance was selected after Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson. However, Lance now seems to be on his way out of the Bay Area.

The 49ers on Wednesday named Brock Purdy their starting quarterback and Sam Darnold second-string. San Francisco is expected to field trade calls for Lance, a 23-year-old signal-caller who has played just eight games with four starts.

The development caused football fans everywhere to imagine how stacked the Niners would be if they didn’t draft Lance third overall. After all, there was plenty of talent on the board following the No. 3 selection.

4. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
5. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
6. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
7. Penei Sewell, OL, Detroit Lions
8. Jaycee Horn, CB, Carolina Panthers
9. Patrick Surtain, CB, Denver Broncos
10. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
11. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
12. Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys
13. Rashawn Slater, OL, Los Angeles Chargers
24. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

That’s a lot of talent missed.

Chase, Waddle and Smith, specifically, are considered budding stars at receiver while Fields is an undeniable dual-threat talent at the quarterback position. Who knows if everything would have played out the same, of course, but the opportunity to select Parsons, who has continued to flourish after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, or Slater with San Francisco’s original No. 12 pick is notable, too.

San Francisco’s roster would look better with one of those players. Perhaps that one player would even elevate the 49ers from a Super Bowl contender to a Super Bowl favorite entering the 2023 campaign. The 49ers, however, aren’t too far behind at 10-1 on FanDuel Sportsbook.