San Francisco 49ers 7-round NFL mock draft: Trey Lance or Mac Jones?

The San Francisco 49ers flipped the 2021 NFL Draft on its head late last week when they made an extremely aggressive move up the board to No. 3. In the deal, the 49ers sent their first-round pick (12th overall), a first- and third-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for No. 3 overall. This is clearly a major move up the board for a quarterback and the player that they select will reshape the future of this franchise, one way or another.

Only one question remains: Who will the San Francisco 49ers select?

Justin Fields should be in the conversation for the 49ers at No. 3 but his stock seems to be slipping. Based on whispers from plugged-in people in the media, this pick appears to be between Trey Lance out of North Dakota State and Mac Jones out of Alabama.

The appeal of Lance is obvious. He has arguably the best natural arm talent in the entire class and pairs that with obvious upside as a rusher. While Lance has limited college experience and all of that experience comes from the FCS level, he ran a well-structured offense at North Dakota State extremely well. He shows the ability to play within the structure of an offense and can also improvise when needed. Lance is a perfect fit for the modern NFL and undoubtedly has massive upside at the next level.

Jones does not have the physical skill-set of a guy like Lance. However, he was absolutely tremendous at Alabama last season, spreading the ball around the field with precise accuracy on a consistent basis. He is an extremely smart and accurate quarterback who can lead a team to success if he has the right pieces around him.

However, Jones’ lack of athleticism makes him a less than ideal fit for the modern NFL. It is certainly fair to question Jones’ upside as a starting quarterback at the next level. That being said, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has had success with players who have a similar playing style to Jones. It is easy to see Shanahan liking Jones as a prospect.

In this seven-round mock draft for the San Francisco 49ers, we will look to answer the big question at the top and also find value for the team throughout the process. Will it be Jones or Lance at No. 3?

Note: This mock draft was completed using The Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine.