The San Francisco 49ers took one step towards the future by drafting rookie QB Trey Lance with the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Giving up heavy draft capital to land the quarterback, the 49ers clearly have a lot of faith in Lance’s abilities. But the franchise has been careful with proceedings.

While Lance is undoubtedly set to be the Niners‘ QB1, he might have to wait to get that opportunity. With QB Jimmy Garoppolo still in the mix, it might take some while before Lance takes over playcalling duties.

While a competitive atmosphere is set to prevail in the side’s QB camp it hasn’t turned into animosity. Lance and Garoppolo have reportedly bonded well over the past few months with the former taking on the role of mentor.

Trey Lance glad to have Jimmy G around

Speaking to KVRR, Lance talked about the relationship he has developed with Jimmy Garoppolo and just lucky he’s been to have him around.

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“Yeah, it’s been awesome,” Lance said. “He’s a great guy. I mean, one of the best people I’ve been around and I’ve been fortunate to be around some really, really great people.”

Praising the organization, Lance further talked about Garoppolo and the coaching staff’s role in helping him grown and develop.

“Jimmy is just like it and that organization is the same exact way. So I just feel very blessed and fortunate to be where I am and be able to be a part of something like this.

I’ve heard from other guys’ experiences and how we handled OTAs and things like that, our coaching staff and everyone that runs that organization does it at a really high level,” he added.

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While Garoppolo might be a helping hand for now, one can expect things to heat up once the season comes around. After all, the NFL is an unforgiving league. And even one slip up can prove to be a costly affair.