49ers mock drafts: With the NFL draft almost here, which quarterback will it be at No. 3?
It’s back.
A year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced a virtual event for the first time in league history, the 2021 NFL draft will kick off with a live, fan-attended celebration Thursday in Cleveland.
The 49ers entered the NFL offseason with the 12th overall pick after finishing 6-10 in 2020. However, San Francisco made a huge draft-altering deal last month by trading with the Miami Dolphins to move up to No. 3 — a move that signaled the franchise would look at a quarterback even with having incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo under contract through next season.
But who will it be? With Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and BYU’s Zach Wilson widely expected to go 1-2, that leaves three solid candidates, in alphabetical order: Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
If the first three picks of the draft are quarterbacks, it will be the first time that’s happened since 1999, when Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith came off the board in succession.
Recent talk across the nation has the momentum going toward Jones, who played 13 games for the national champion Crimson Tide last season. The redshirt junior led the nation with 4,500 passing yards and threw 41 touchdowns, second only to Florida’s Kyle Trask, with just four interceptions.
Lance appears to be the No. 2 option. He played just one game in 2020 before the Bison canceled their season due to COVID-19 concerns. However, he was stellar a season prior as a redshirt sophomore, completing 66.9% of his passes for 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns and no interceptions while running for 1,100 yards and 14 scores en route to leading North Dakota State to its third consecutive FCS Championship victory.
As for Fields, he finished his junior season with 2,100 yards on 70.2% passing, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight games for the Buckeyes. He also ran for 383 yards and scored five times.
The Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman put the 49ers on Lance in our most recent seven-round mock on April 19. However, he now thinks Jones is the pick.
But what are national analysts saying? Here’s a final look.
Note: This will be updated regularly before the 49ers make their pick Thursday afternoon.
ESPN
Mel Kiper Jr. (April 29): Jones
Todd McShay (April 29): Lance
NFL.com
Bucky Brooks (April 27): Lance
Charley Casserly (April 29): Jones
Charles Davis (April 28): Lance
Daniel Jeremiah (April 28): Jones
Maurice Jones-Drew (April 13): Fields
Rhett Lewis (April 26): Jones
Chad Reuter (April 23): Jones
Peter Schrager (April 20): Jones
Lance Zierlein (April 29): Jones
CBS Sports
Josh Edwards (April 28): Fields
Pete Prisco (April 29): Jones
Chris Trapasso (April 28): Lance
Ryan Wilson (April 29): Jones
USA Today
Nate Davis (April 19): Fields
Luke Easterling (April 26): Lance
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (April 7): Fields
Sports Illustrated
Albert Breer (April 27): Jones
Roy Countryman (April 26): Lance
Gary Gramling (April 25): Lance
Pro Football Talk
Peter King (April 26): Jones
Bleacher Report
Staff (April 27): Fields
Theo Salaun (April 28): Lance
Joseph Zucker (April 27): Jones
The Ringer
Danny Kelly (April 29): Jones
Walter Football
Walter Cherepinsky (April 29): Lance
Charlie Campbell (April 29): Lance
San Diego Union-Tribune
Eddie Brown (April 28): Jones
Final Tally
Fields: 5
Jones: 15
Lance: 10
Like our 49ers coverage? You can support our work, and vote for more of it, with a $30 Sports Pass. That’s an annual cost, not a monthly subscription. Sign up now to make your voice heard.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 9:30 AM.