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There’s always growing pains for rookies in the NFL, and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is no different than anyone else.
The 21-year-old out of North Dakota State was taken as the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, and what Niners fans have seen of him has been limited and a mixed bag.
The same goes for his teammates in practice. San Francisco star linebacker Fred Warner explained this on Tuesday when talking to the media ahead of the team’s Week 17 home game against the Houston Texans.
His initial review of Lance doesn’t paint an overly confident picture, but it also shows that Lance is trying to make smart decisions.
“I think just his confidence has continued to grow and grow,” Warner said per David Lombardi. “I think early on in the season working with the scout team, he was playing things a little safer, using his legs a lot to run. Didn’t want to throw an interception.”
Lance attempting to mitigate errors is definitely a good thing, but something you want to see in real-game situations rather than practice. Fred Warner offered a detailed explanation why.
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Fred Warner Sounds Off on Trey Lance
For the 49ers linebacker, Lance’s early days in practice were causing two problems: he wasn’t helping himself, and he wasn’t helping the San Francisco defense.
So, Warner grabbed Lance to talk about it. According to the 25-year-old linebacker, the conversation was needed but went well.
“I pulled him to the side and said, ‘Look Trey,'” Warner continued. “First of all, we weren’t getting the work we needed on the field, and that’s why you saw [the defense struggle] on game day. Also, for his sake. ‘Listen, this is your opportunity to take chances and develop that part of your game. Take a chance. Try and see, can you fit the ball in tight spaces? Can you throw on the run and complete a pass down the field?”
For 49ers fans, Warner’s conversation is what you want to see. The linebacker is a foundational piece of the team, and stepping up in that moment is what a leader is supposed to.
It certainly helps that, according to Warner’s comments, it worked on the practice field.
“After that conversation started, he just started to roll,” Warner said. “You start seeing these crazy plays where he’s getting it right over guys’ fingertips, just tossing the ball down the field making the right plays. It’s just a confidence thing.”
Trey Lance Could Make Second Start on Sunday
It’s not completely clear if starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be ready to go after a sprained UCL tendon in the thumb of his throwing arm. If he isn’t, it will be on Lance to step up in a must-win game against the Texans.
In his limited playing time this season, Lance has shown flashes of what the 49ers hope will be his regular level in the future. When stepping in for Jimmy G in Week 4’s 28-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, the rookie threw two touchdowns. However, the next week, he only mustered 192 passing yards, no scores and an interception in his first career start, a 17-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, per PFR.
Now, Lance may be getting a second start of his young NFL career. If he can play to the level the 49ers saw in Week 4, he may end up putting in a serious claim that he should start the rest of the year.
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