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Former NFL Scout Breaks Down Trey Lance’s Journey to the Bench

Samnur Reza
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Former NFL Scout Breaks Down Trey Lance’s Journey to the Bench

The 2021 draft brought forth undoubtedly one of the most disappointing QB classes in recent memory. Their fifth year is rapidly approaching, but most play-makers from that class find themselves out of their team’s future plans, with only Trevor Lawrence as an exception. Whether it’s Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, or Trey Lance, their NFL dream, as we know it, might just come to an end in 2025.

But as it turns out, Trey Lance showed more promise than the other two, so much so that he seemed perfect for the 49ers when the club drafted him at third. Or is it that the scouts overlooked his athletic prowess since his brief and uninteresting time in the Big League has only highlighted that he wasn’t the dual-threat QB everyone was looking for? Former NFL scout and ‘3 & Out’ host John Middlekauff definitely seems to think so.

Looking back at the 2021 draft class, Middlekauff asserted that Lance was only drafted by the Niners because the franchise felt that they were selecting a ‘hybrid’ QB. He sure seemed like one with his 14 rushing touchdowns in 2019 while playing for the Bisons, but only a few may have noticed that his speed and agility were subpar. Middlekauff also believes that the North Dakota State alum doesn’t even throw the pigskin well and has issues with accuracy.

“He was completely overwhelmed physically… You watch him run, you go, ‘this guy’s not even very fast,'” Middlekauff asserted.

The sportscaster, however, also pointed out how Trey Lance was under a lot of pressure to prove his mettle in the NFL. He excelled above and beyond at the collegiate level, therefore; it was only expected of him. But he just couldn’t keep up with the Kyle Shanahan offense. But in contrast, Brock Purdy, who barely got any love during his draft day, is flourishing.

Difference Between Brock Purdy & Trey Lance

The San Francisco 49ers just had one plan with Trey Lance: have him adapt to the Kyle Shanahan offense. This initially didn’t work, therefore, the head man tried to structure the game plan around him, which also failed to materialize. Mr. Irrelevant, however, didn’t take long before becoming the missing piece of the Shanahan offense.

He led the team to the Super Bowl in his second year as a starter after getting ousted in the NFC title game in his debut season. John Middlekauff, who has attended practices where Purdy and Lance sweated it out, noticed that while Mr. Irrelevant didn’t have Lance’s stature, he still displayed more agility on the field with his constant movements.

Middlekauff also pointed out that while Lance had a lot to prove, given the team gave up three first-round picks to draft him, something that sets back a franchise for years, the case of Purdy is quite the opposite. He turned out to be quite the steal—a steal that any team would pay the big bucks for.

As for Lance, he still has a season left to prove his ball game. It will be quite challenging since he will compete against Cooper Rush for the backup position, but in the realm of the NFL, we have seen even crazier things happen.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza

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Samnur Reza is an NFL editor for The SportsRush. He holds a degree in English Honors and joined The SportsRush editorial team in 2023. Having previously worked as a freelancer and several media outlets, Samnur has been religiously following the National Football League for the past six and a half years. Samnur first started following football after Tom Brady's cameo in Ted 2. It wasn’t long before he found himself grabbing a bucket of popcorn to enjoy football games. He still vividly remembers his first-ever fixture: a 2011 matchup between the Patriots and Raiders, where Brady led his team to a 31-19 victory. Even so, Samnur believes Brady’s best performance came against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, a game he still revisits from time to time. Samnur diligently follows most NFL athletes, their family members, and even the NCAA. Thus, he considers himself a diverse writer, having covered almost every corner of the football world. He does, however, have a special interest in athlete-centric stories. Whenever they engage in off-field ventures or charitable activities, Samnur enjoys reading and writing about them. Samnur had already authored over 850 NFL-based articles before becoming an editor. His editorial journey began just a little over a year ago. Beyond football, Samnur is a true cinephile with an extensive repertoire of films. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva.’ During his free time, Samnur enjoys playing video games, currently immersed in God of War: Ragnarök. Having recently learned how to ride a bike, he now wishes to travel almost everywhere on it.

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