49ers land on Trey Lance, Fantasy Impact

Maybe the most intriguing NFL Draft pick in a long time was finally realized Thursday when the San Francisco 49ers selected North Dakota St. QB Trey Lance third overall.

(Check out the FTN Trey Lance scouting report here.)

The 49ers traded up from the 12th overall pick to get the third pick from Miami earlier this offseason, and they used the pick on the QB out of North Dakota State.

(Follow along with every pick in the FTN Draft Tracker.)

After weeks of hearing that Mac Jones was the guy at No. 3, the 49ers have changed course and selected Trey Lance out of North Dakota State.

It’s a fantastic move for fantasy purposes. Lance’s fantasy comps are somewhere between Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen. That is to say, Lance’s upside is as a top-three fantasy QB. And that’s because he’s a “Konami Code” quarterback — both a rusher and a passer. Lance did not play college football in 2020 beyond a single game, but he impressed enough in 2019 that he still comes off the draft board No. 3 overall. He was phenomenal in his short college career, racking up 48 total TDs and throwing just one interception. More importantly, he averaged about 75 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD per game.Lance has a huge arm, the athletic ability to perform immediately in the NFL, and he now pairs with renowned offensive schemer Kyle Shanahan with an elite group of weapons including George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.Lance is raw, and he’s going to be just 21 when the season starts, so it remains to be seen if he plays all of 2021 as the starter. The 49ers do still have Jimmy Garoppolo (for now). But if Lance is the full-time starter, it’s reasonable to say he has fantasy QB1 upside as a rookie thanks to his legs. Lance will be one of the best late-round QBs you can draft this year, assuming he’s the starter. — Tyler Loechner