The 49ers want to play a physical brand of football. Just look at their loaded running backs room, emphasis on adding to the offensive line, plus using wide receiver Deebo Samuel as an extra ball-carrier as well.
And then quarterback Trey Lance, their top pick from the 2021 NFL Draft. As a dual-threat option, he only adds to that physicality and one former 49ers general manager has two comparisons for the young QB.
"Lance, honestly, I think he’s like (Steve) McNair and he’s like Dak (Prescott), from the standpoint that he’s a big guy, a physical guy, a tough guy, a smart guy," Scot McCloughan said to The Athletic's Matt Barrows.
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As far as comparisons go, McCloughan said you can't put Lance in the same category as Patrick Mahomes or Brett Favre, because he doesn't have the same arm talent. You also can't compare him to Lamar Jackson, because he doesn't have the same elite athleticism.
That isn't exactly a bad thing, though.
"With Trey, there isn’t ever going to be one thing that you say he does the best," McCloughan said. "But he does everything good. And that’s plenty enough to win a championship."
McCloughan had Lance rated as his third-best QB in the draft behind Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, and while he wouldn't have traded two first-round picks for him, he personally would have taken Lance over Wilson because of his size and physicality.
San Francisco 49ers
"He’s a big dude. And physically, he’ll be able to hold up to the demand of 17 games or 18 games," McCloughan said. "He can take the rigor of it because he’s big. Wilson can’t. Wilson’s going to be hit-and-miss."
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Lance is listed at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds. Wilson is listed at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.
Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers have seen what happens when their QB goes down. They have goals of going deep into the season, and Lance's durability had to play a factor in their draft decision.