The first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is Thursday night from Cleveland with an 8 p.m. ET start. That means we may not have any drama until around 8:30 when the San Francisco 49ers pick third overall because we know what Jacksonville will do at No. 1 (Trevor Lawrence) and the New York Jets will at No. 2 (Zach Wilson). The Niners traded up to No. 3 to get a quarterback as well, and according to one report it will either be Alabama's Mac Jones or North Dakota State's Trey Lance but not Ohio State's Justin Fields as the pick. Jones is the -200 favorite to go third at William Hill Sportsbook with Lance at +230 and Fields +400.
The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported it's going to be either Jones or Lance; most believe the team has been locked on Jones from the get-go. NBC Sports' Peter King reported that Jones is the "accurate coach-on-the-field" QB whom 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan "craves."
ESPN's Todd McShay wrote today that "I'm told that many in the 49ers' personnel department have pushed for North Dakota State QB Trey Lance but that coach Kyle Shanahan wants to draft Alabama's Mac Jones." ESPN's Dianna Russini said Monday morning on "Get Up" that the 49ers were dead set on Jones at No. 3 at the time of the trade but have been impressed by Lance, who brings a mobile aspect that Jones does not.
Jones completed a national-best 77.4 percent of his passes last year (NCAA record) for the national champions but it also was his only full season as a starter, and he had incredible talent around him. The CBS Sports Big Board ranks Jones as the No. 21 overall prospect in the class and No. 5 quarterback behind Lawrence, Wilson, Fields and Lance.
Fields actually became the betting favorite to be the third pick for a while after a stellar Pro Day at Ohio State and a picture on social media was floating around of Fields and Shanahan talking and smiling. Fields did recently reveal he has epilepsy, which could be hurting his draft stock.
Whether it's Jones or Lance, it's expected that the Niners will open the season with incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback – unless some team (Patriots?) makes a trade offer that San Francisco can't refuse.
Jones is considered more pro-ready right now than Lance, so if Jones is the pick that could mean Jimmy G's days are very numbered and that he even could be dealt during the draft. If it's Lance, that more likely means Garoppolo will be a 49er this season.
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