49er Rumors: SF ‘Ready to make pick’...

49ers Rumors: SF 'Ready to Make Pick' Between Mac Jones, Justin Fields or Lance

[bleacherreport.com]

Tyler Conway

The San Francisco 49ers are ready to pick their quarterback of the future.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter the 49ers have concluded their predraft meetings and have decided who they are taking with the No. 3 overall pick:

"I'm told the work is done in Santa Clara. They have wrapped up their draft meetings officially. They're ready to make this pick, but it's in the hands of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. They're probably not telling anybody. Nobody in that building knows and doesn't expect to know until Thursday. But the coaches broke down Mac Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance this week together in a neutral process. I'm told they've kept an open mind with Justin Fields and Trey Lance winning them over. They had a good process, but there's still a decent amount of buzz league-wide about Mac Jones."

Of course, the 49ers likely knew who they were taking at No. 3 the second they moved up to the spot. Teams don't give up three first-round picks without a clear idea of what direction they are headed in.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to take Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's first round, and Zach Wilson has looked increasingly likely to go to the New York Jets at No. 2. That leaves Mac Jones, Justin Fields and Trey Lance as the remaining options for the 49ers.

Jones has been viewed as the favorite since the trade's completion, with a near-constant stream of rumors about Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch being locked in on the Alabama product. He reset the Alabama passing record book in 2020, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns against four interceptions while completing 77.4 percent of his passes.

Fields is the consensus best player among the three quarterbacks, with his seeming drop as the process played out seeming odd. The Ohio State product has shown a capability to throw every pass on the field, putting up 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions while adding 383 yards and five scores on the ground in the shortened 2020 Big Ten season.

Lance stands out as a wild card, an unproven star at the FCS level who may have the highest ceiling of any quarterback but is also the biggest risk. His combination of size, speed, arm strength and accuracy are renowned, but there is a limited sample of FCS quarterbacks having success at the NFL level.

Odds are the 49ers are focusing on one of the two quarterbacks who competed for a national championship in January.