Trey Lance debut: 3 things we learned in first 49ers’ appearance

Trey Lance had one spectacular play but was far from perfect in his 49ers debut, here’s what we learned from his entertaining first game.

Trey Lance’s first game since his sole appearance for North Dakota State last year did not disappoint, as the third overall pick produced a spectacular play in the San Francisco 49ers’ preseason opener with the Kansas City Chiefs that they will hope is a sign of what is to come from their quarterback of the future.

Lance’s 80-yard touchdown throw to Trent Sherfield provided an exciting glimpse of the upside that convinced the Niners to trade three first-round picks to move up to the third pick this year and select him as Jimmy Garoppolo’s heir apparent.

But it was not a perfect night for Lance, who finished the game five of 14 for 128 yards and one touchdown, and head coach Kyle Shanahan will need to see more from the rookie before he makes a definitive decision on whether he is ready to take over from Garoppolo this year.

There were, however, a few things that could be gleaned from Lance’s entertaining opening act.

Shanahan not showing run-game cards

Aside from the touchdown to Sherfield, where Lance rolled to his left and unleashed a near-perfect throw to hit his receiver on the deep post, the most frightening athlete among this year’s crop of quarterbacks was rarely used outside of the pocket and was not deployed as a running threat.

We can chalk that up to Shanahan, who helped Robert Griffin III to an Offensive Rookie of the Year season in 2012 when building a gameplan around his athleticism, not wanting to show the league his cards right off the bat.

Shanahan indicated as much after the game. He replied when asked about the balance between getting Lance reps and not giving too much away to opponents.

“That’s every preseason,” he said (h/t 49ers Webzone). “That’s why we don’t do a lot of that stuff. And definitely with Trey and definitely with all the other guys too. So that’s why preseason games aren’t the most fun games for coaches to game plan or anything.”

What Lance can do with the ball in his hands is one of the most intriguing aspects of his skill set but, on this evidence, the league will not get a look at how Shanahan plans to take advantage of his running ability until Week 1 of the regular season.

Lance needs reps behind first-string O-Line

Lance was restricted from unfurling more accurate downfield throws largely because of the lack of protection from the offensive line.

Mike McGlinchey, Daniel Brunskill and Laken Tomlinson were the sole members of the Niners’ starting O-Line to play on Saturday, while Lance played most of his snaps behind second and third-stringers.

The end result was that Lance was under heavy and consistent pressure, which saw him sacked four times.

Lance’s frame meant that he felt no ill-effects of the several hefty shots he took, however, if Shanahan wants to properly evaluate his rookie quarterback against Garoppolo, he would be wise to get him reps behind the starting O-Line to provide him with the protection to potentially operate at a higher level.

Lance will be aggressive

What stood out most about Lance’s touchdown throw was that he passed up an easier throw to Brandon Aiyuk to connect with Sherfield, and he showed no fear throughout his time on the field.

He hit Charlie Woerner on a play-action throw from his own endzone and frequently displayed his velocity in attempting to rip the ball into tight windows.

With three receivers, Aiyuk, River Cracraft and Richie James, dropping passes that should have been caught, the Niners’ wideouts perhaps still need to adjust to the power Lance can put on his throws.

Yet for Shanahan and 49ers fans alike, the willingness Lance showed and the success he enjoyed in zipping the ball into windows many quarterbacks would shy away from attacking should be a cause for significant encouragement.