News that the 49ers are actively taking calls about trading quarterback Trey Lance throws a fascinating wrinkle into what was a fairly slow lead up to the NFL draft. San Francisco wasn’t slated to pick until No. 99, but a new three-round mock draft by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar explores how moving Lance before or during the draft could dramatically alter the team’s outlook over the three-day selection process.
Ultimately the team may not want to let go of the QB unless they’re blown away by an offer. Lance still holds value and his upside is still significant. However, there’s a tough risk-reward assessment San Francisco has to make when evaluating any trade.
If they don’t move on from Lance and he doesn’t improve, they run the risk of letting him leave in free agency in two years and they get nothing in return. The team can’t just trade him for peanuts though because the potential reward of having him on the roster outweighs the benefit of some mid or late-round pick in either of the next two drafts.
While there are a handful of teams that could be in on trying to acquire Lance, Farrar works out a deal that lands the young signal caller with a familiar face.
In the mock from TD Wire, the 49ers deal Lance to the Houston Texans with their new head coach and former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans. In exchange for the QB, San Francisco lands pick Nos. 33, 65 and 73 in the 2023 draft.
This is the kind of deal the 49ers would leap at. Not only do they fetch a trio of picks for the third-year QB, but all three land in the top 100 with one in the top 50. They previously had one pick in the top 100 (No. 99) and zero in the top 50.
A deal like this would give them the firepower to climb up into the first round – something they’d almost certainly try to do with 14 total picks at their disposal. The 33rd pick with one of their third-round selections would likely be enough to get them into the back end of Round 1.
A trade for Lance is going to have to be one that comes off as something of an overpay for a third-year QB with only two starts under his belt, and the mock Texans’ offer would very likely be enough to pry Lance away from the 49ers.
