Trey Lance had one main task for his rookie NFL season in 2021: Sit back and learn from 49ers veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Making an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, 49ers tight end George Kittle expressed confidence in Lance's improvement and said the North Dakota State product picked up a few nerdy qualities from Garoppolo along the way.
"I think it's consistently gotten better,” Kittle said of Lance’s growth. “Jimmy G is the professional through and through. Jimmy G takes notes every single meeting, he asks questions every meeting, he's in his books. And I think once Trey saw that he's like 'Oh, I need to do all that and more.' "
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Although Garoppolo remains on the 49ers' roster, Lance is widely expected to be the team's starting quarterback Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. Kittle isn't 100 percent sure what to expect from Lance, who has just two NFL starts under his belt. But he is headstrong about the young quarterback's progress.
"I thought Trey took a bunch of steps forward," Kittle said. "For Trey to become a really good quarterback in the NFL, he needs reps. And so once this kid gets a lot of reps, just watch out because some of the things I've seen him do in practice kind of mind boggled me, so I'm waiting for it.
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"If you compare him to last year's OTAs, I think he's two different players. And that's just exciting to see."