49ers notebook: Notable takeaways from Trey Lance pro day, Alex Smith walks away
The value of pro days before the NFL draft is debatable, as are the details that go into them. Which makes Monday’s pro day for North Dakota State quarterback prospect Trey Lance either something that should raise questions or be ignored altogether.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch on Monday made a quick trip to Fargo, N.D. to watch Lance throw in person at his second pro day. The two missed his first throwing session against air March 12, roughly two weeks before making the trade with the Miami Dolphins to the No. 3 pick, where Lance remains a candidate to get drafted. The two traveled on a private plane in the morning and flew back after the workout in the afternoon.
Less notable than Shanahan and Lynch attending the pro day were its circumstances. According to an ESPN report, Lance recently started working with quarterbacks coach John Beck at the behest of Shanahan after the 49ers made the trade to move up March 26. The 49ers were reportedly “heavily involved” in orchestrating Lance’s throwing session, as they were with Ohio State’s Justin Fields’ pro day last week.
Beck has also been working with BYU’s Zach Wilson and Fields, but notably not Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who has been a popular projection to the 49ers and one that draws the most ire from fans. Whether that’s worth reading into regarding Jones remains to be seen.
Beck played for Shanahan with Washington in 2011 when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator and the two have remained close. Beck has worked previously with Shanahan’s quarterbacks during the offseason, including Matt Ryan and Jimmy Garoppolo, and is a protege of well known quarterback coach Tom House.
The 49ers likely wanted Beck to work with Lance and Fields on specific movements and throws related to his offense. After all, personal workouts before this year’s draft have been disallowed due to the pandemic and Beck could serve as an extension of the coaching staff throughout the evaluation process — and someone who could have valuable information on each prospect.
Additionally, because rules prevented North Dakota State teammates from participating in Lance’s second pro day, former 49ers receiver Jordan Matthews, who’s had two stints with San Francisco the last two seasons, ran routes and caught passes for Lance. Clearly Matthews’ knowledge of the Shanahan offense played a role, and perhaps the 49ers used the workout to check in on Matthews’ status as well. He remains a free agent the team could bring in after the draft.
Monday’s throwing session was also attended by ranking members of the Falcons, Patriots and Broncos, who could all be in the market for quarterbacks during the first round April 29. The Patriots hold the No. 15 pick, the Falcons No. 4 and the Broncos No. 9.
The Falcons appear to be the pivot point of the draft assuming quarterbacks come off the board with the first three picks. They may be interested in taking Lance, who some believe has the most upside of any quarterback available, and sit him behind Ryan for a season or two. Or Atlanta could draft Florida tight end Kyle Pitts whom many consider the most can’t-miss prospect in the class.
The Patriots are trying to find their next face of the franchise following Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick might feel inclined to trade into the top 10 to get his signal caller. He also attended Jones’ pro day last month and Fields’ pro day last week. Denver is an interesting team to watch in trade-up scenarios because their roster appears close to playoff-caliber, but quarterback Drew Lock is an impediment to their chances.
The 49ers have kept their decision surrounding the No. 3 pick close to the vest. Members of the scouting department and coaching staff have remained in the dark making it likely only those at the very top of the organization know which direction Shanahan is leaning.
As to the importance of Lance’s pro day, we’ll find out when the 49ers make the pick April 29 in less than two weeks’ time.
Smith retires, gets warm note from York
Speaking of first-round picks, former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith on Monday officially announced his retirement in an Instagram video. He was recently released by the Washington Football team after making one of the most inspiring returns from injury in NFL history.
The 49ers drafted Smith first overall in 2005 and he struggled before becoming a fan favorite in 2011 when he helped lead the team to the NFC title game after the epic last-minute victory over the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Smith played seven seasons for San Francisco and finished with a 38-36-1 record as a starter before getting traded to the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2012 season when the 49ers made Colin Kaepernick their full-time starter. Smith started Washington’s win over the 49ers in December but exited with a calf injury making it his penultimate appearance. He started Washington’s Week 17 victory over the Philadelpia Eagles but was inactive for the playoff loss to Tampa Bay.
49ers CEO Jed York issued a statement about Smith following news of his retirement.
“On behalf of my entire family, the San Francisco 49ers organization would like to congratulate Alex Smith on a remarkable and inspirational NFL playing career,” York wrote. “For eight years, Alex represented our franchise with class both on and off the field, and his contributions to the 49ers organization will be remembered forever. Throughout his time in the Red and Gold, Alex showed how perseverance, commitment and hard work were core principles to him as a person and it was truly special to see his impact in the locker room and in the community. Alex continued to show those values over the course his NFL journey, which is why it was no surprise to see him named the 2020 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year. To Alex, his wife Elizabeth, and their three children, Hudson, Hayes and Sloane, we wish you all the best. You will always be part of the 49ers family.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2021 at 7:44 AM.
