As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, they’re looking at a rare scenario: a first-round selection for the second year in a row.
This comes in the aftermath of the infamous trade that brought Trey Lance to the team. For one of the smartest front offices in the league, the Lance trade was a rare – and quite massive – mistake.
However, according to Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated, Lance might not have been Kyle Shanahan’s top choice at quarterback when the trade initially went down.
Cohn expressed his belief that Shanahan’s preferred pick in 2021 was Mac Jones, who was a top quarterback prospect out of Alabama.
“I’m guessing Shanahan always wanted Jones but was told by the organization that he wasn’t an option, so he reluctantly took Lance instead,” Cohn reported.
“Lance was a project Shanahan didn’t want to take on. His heart wasn’t in it. He merely wanted a quarterback who fits his system, and that’s Jones.”
This insight sheds new light on the highly scrutinized draft decision made by the 49ers during the pre-draft period in 2021.
Following a blockbuster trade that saw the 49ers send three first-round picks (2021, 2022, 2023) and a third-round pick in 2021 to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 3 overall pick, speculation ran wild about which quarterback the 49ers would choose.
Many, including some prominent NFL insiders, believed that the 49ers were positioning themselves to select Jones.
Instead, the team surprised everyone by selecting Lance third overall, putting an end to the Jones rumors once and for all.
But Cohn’s comments now cast doubt on that decision, suggesting that Shanahan’s heart was never fully behind the Lance pick.
This raises the question of just how “on the same page” Shanahan is with general manager John Lynch and the front office.
Despite the initial pick of Lance, Shanahan seems to have ultimately gotten his way.
Lance ended up being an enormous disappointment and quickly found his way out of town. Meanwhile, the Niners struck gold with Mr. Irreverent Brock Purdy in the 2022 draft.
And while Jones didn’t work out too well in New England or Jacksonville, you can’t help but wonder how he might have developed in Shanahan’s system had the 49ers originally drafted him.
Regardless, Jones is finally with Shanahan in San Francisco after signing a two-year, $7 million deal to join the team as Purdy’s backup… It funny how things shake out sometimes.
What are your thoughts on the revelation that Shanahan was never truly on-board with the Trey Lance pick???
