The Trey Area Era has begun in San Francisco.
The 49ers stunned the NFL world Thursday night when they selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
For the last month, since the 49ers swung a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to move up from No. 12, the speculation had been that coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would take Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
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Instead, Shanahan and Lynch swung for the fences and took the quarterback with the most to prove but also with the most upside in this draft class.
NBC Sports Bay Area's Josh Schrock gave the 49ers high marks for the Lance pick, while Insider Matt Maiocco explained why San Francisco went in this direction.
Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett was the first 49ers player to welcome Lance to the squad.
49ers CEO Jed York, who spent the entire day tweeting, was excited about the newest member of his organization.
Several current and former NFL players also weighed in on the draft pick, including former 49ers running back LaMichael James.
Former NFL kicker and current CBS Sports analyst Jay Feely isn't a fan of the pick considering that the 49ers gave up their 2022 and 2023 first-round draft picks to move up to No. 3.
Even Giants manager Gabe Kapler, who just began his second season in the Bay Area, welcomed Lance.
Here's how some 49ers fans reacted to the pick.
Of the top five quarterbacks in this draft class, the 20-year-old Lance comes to the NFL with the most question marks, having played just 17 games at the FCS level. But he arguably has the most potential.
Now it's up to Shanahan to work his magic and develop Lance into the quarterback who can lead the 49ers back to the Super Bowl.
