Trey Lance is a Longshot to Start Week 1 for the San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers traded up from the No. 12 pick to the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to draft North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. 

The bold move gives the Niners their QB of the future, but how quickly will Lance become the starter? DraftKings Sportsbook has set odds on San Francisco’s Week 1 starting quarterback.

What Kyle Shanhan has Said

Lance is a raw prospect. He turns 21 over the weekend, and attempted less than 400 passes in college, he may not be ready to handle the load of being an NFL quarterback just yet.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was deliberate in saying that Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starter heading into training camp. 

"Jimmy is definitely our starter right now, and right now there isn't a competition because I don't believe Trey would be in a position to compete," Shanahan told Rich Eisen last week. "Jimmy is too good of a player, he's got too good of a grasp of our offense, he'll start out OTAs running like he's done before and he'll be the starting quarterback.”

Of course, it’s May, but Jimmy G did have the 49ers in the Super Bowl two seasons ago. Things change, especially when the two get to camp and see the field together. Early reports from OTA’s will be important to see how Shanahan and the coaching staff view Lance moving forward. 

Does Lance have to Start?

Conventional wisdom says that the Niners sacrificed so much draft capital -- two extra first rounders and a third rounder -- that they need to go to Lance now. 

Here's the rundown of which first round QB's have taken Week 1 snaps.

Every situation is different, and this one is unique with the way the Niners depth chart is set with a serviceable signal caller like Garoppolo on the roster.

San Fran has a strong defense and plenty of talented offensive weapons that can have them back in the Super Bowl hunt in 2021, but that doesn’t mean Lance needs to take over right away. 

The 49ers front office selected Lance based on his upside. Like I mentioned, he is incredibly raw but has showcased a ton of talent in his limited snaps at NDSU. The team views Lance as a blank canvas and someone that can grow into Shanahan’s ideal offense, but that may take some time. 

With Jimmy G in the fold, they can take their time developing Lance.

Look at Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. Mahomes sat 16 full games before getting an insignificant Week 17 start. The following season, the Chiefs felt comfortable that it was time to hand the keys over to Mahomes. As we know, the rest is history.

The odds are rightfully shaded towards Jimmy G handling Week 1 snaps as Lance gets acclimated to the San Francisco offense. I’d take Shanahan’s comments to heart and steer clear of betting this prop at this point.