With Trey Lance now on his way to Dallas, we officially can come to a verdict on the 49ers’ major gamble to move up to the third selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The blockbuster pre-draft trade ended up being an unmitigated disaster for the 49ers, ranking among the worst draft-related trades in NFL history. But was it the worst? One of Kyle Shanahan’s former quarterbacks certainly thinks so.
Robert Griffin III posted on X on Friday, saying “The 49ers decision to give up 3 first round picks to move up and draft Trey Lance is THE WORST DRAFT DAY MOVE OF ALL TIME.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While the trade up for Lance certainly will live in infamy, it is far from the only horrendous trade made to improve draft position in NFL history.
Among those is the Saints trading eight draft picks, including two-first rounders, to move up from No. 12 to the No. 5 overall spot to select running back Ricky Williams.
The haul for Williams remains unprecedented, but New Orleans was able to return multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons during his three years with the team.
San Francisco 49ers
RELATED: John Lynch takes blame for unsuccessful Trey Lance pick
After netting a historically bad return on their investment, Lance’s extremely limited body of work with the 49ers could be what ultimately validates RG3’s take.