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Trey Lance Showcases Arm Strength at 2nd Pro Day with 49ers, More in Attendance
April 19, 2021
North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance held his second pro day on Monday, with a number of teams in attendance as Lance remains in the conversation to be a top-10 pick in this year's NFL draft.
He showed why with some highlight-reel throws on Monday:
Interestingly enough, one of the receivers Lance threw to in the workout was NFL veteran Jordan Matthews, who praised the young quarterback afterwards:
David Lombardi @LombardiHimselfWow, that is former 49ers WR Jordan Matthews running routes for Trey Lance. I wonder if Shanahan killed two birds with one stone: A look to see the shape Matthews is in, and also a way to have Lance throw to a WR who’s familiar with route nuances of Shanahan’s system https://t.co/xr3tamdBbI
The other Bison, of course, was Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. Matthews and Wentz were teammates with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016, 2018-19).
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers (No. 3 overall pick) joined officials from the Atlanta Falcons (No. 4), Denver Broncos (No. 9) and New England Patriots (No. 15) at the pro day.
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network added more details on Atlanta's presence:
Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero#Falcons QB coach Charles London, passing game specialist T.J. Yates and assistant college scouting director Dwaune Jones are expected to attend Trey Lance's second pro day today. Arthur Smith, Terry Fontenot and Dave Ragone attended the first. A lot of eyeballs on Lance for ATL. https://t.co/SSsugXx9FV
Teams like San Francisco and Atlanta would make sense for a player like Lance, who is seen as something of a prospect given his clear talent and potential but limited experience and the lack of top competition he faced.
With the Niners having a veteran like Jimmy Garoppolo and the Falcons having Matt Ryan, both teams could bring Lance along slowly, allowing him to develop. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky believes the payoff with Lance could be substantial:
With Trevor Lawrence universally believed to be the top overall pick and Zach Wilson the favorite to go No. 2 to the New York Jets, the question remains which player will be third off the board. Alabama's Mac Jones and Ohio State's Justin Fields are also in the running.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah believes Lance is the No. 7 prospect in the 2021 draft class, noting that he "is going to need time to develop, but I'm going to bet on his skill set, competitiveness and decision-making."
Jeremiah ranked Lawrence No. 1, Wilson No. 4, Fields No. 8 and Jones No. 32. In his latest mock draft, he projected the Falcons to pick Lance at No. 4, writing he "can't see the franchise passing on soon-to-be 36-year-old Matt Ryan's eventual successor."