San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is under fire for his less-than-stellar play during the team's preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday at the Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, which resulted in a 34-7 loss.
While the 23-year-old was able to complete 10-of-15 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown, he was also sacked four times in the game.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke about the criticism that Lance received following the difficult game.
The 43-year-old coach said that the criticism from the NFL world comes with the territory for quarterbacks and anybody who is a high draft pick. Lance was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft as the third overall pick by the 49ers.
"That's one of the tough things I think for that position, but also for high draft picks. You watch receivers come in the league and they have a few drops early in camp and there becomes a lot of pressure on them," Shanahan said.
He added that people want to see young quarterbacks take off and do it right away and have no flaws, which is impossible.
Shanahan also praised Lance for how he has been handling the criticism so far, calling him extremely smart and socially aware. He believes Lance is doing a good job of blocking all the noise and focusing on getting better on the football field.
Several other personalities in the sport have given a blunt evaluation of the former third-overall pick. Former 12-year NFL veteran quarter and now ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said that Lance does not fit the offense of Shanahan, and he has seen enough.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi said that Lance lacks the so-called "quarterback instinct," and he predicted that the player would not even win the backup QB spot of the 49ers.
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Brock Purdy is most likely to become the 49ers starting QB
Shanahan confirmed that last season's breakout player Brock Purdy will be this year's starting quarterback for as long as he is medically cleared to play.
Purdy was selected by the 49ers as the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, in the seventh round and 262nd overall, earning the title of Mr. Irrelevant.
However, his nickname shifted to Mr. Relevant after Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance went down with injuries last year, ascending to the starting role in his rookie season and winning all five regular season games that he started. He also led the team up to the NFC Championship Game.
However, Purdy picked up a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament on his throwing elbow during the game, wherein they were denied a berth in the Super Bowl LVII by the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-7.
Shanahan claimed that Purdy would've been the starting QB had they made it to the championship game, even if Garoppolo and Lance were both healthy.
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