National Football League

The San Francisco 49ers will reportedly draft Mac Jones or Trey Lance at No. 3

Published Apr. 26, 2021 8:00 p.m. ET

The media is mining for nuggets on what the San Francisco 49ers will do with the No. 3 pick in the draft.

As the day of the 2021 NFL Draft draws near, the Niners have narrowed their options for the third selection down to two choices, according to reports.

It seems likely that the franchise will select a quarterback with the pick it traded up to get, and the Niners are high on Alabama's Mac Jones and North Dakota State's Trey Lance.

So which one will San Francisco pick?

While that is a very important question, Nick Wright has a few other concerns about what is going on in The Bay.

"The process of we are trading three first-round picks not for a player but for the opportunity to take somebody, but we don't know who that somebody is still? ... The one thing that they could have done, even not knowing which quarterback they are taking, is trade away the quarterback they already have ... I really don't know what they are doing."

Earlier this offseason, the 49ers gave up the 12th overall pick in this year's draft, two future first-round picks (2022 and '23) and a third-round pick in 2022 to move up to No. 3 on Thursday.

Typically, such moves are made when a franchise has a specific player in mind; however, that does not seem to be the case this time.

With the list down to two QBs, pundits are also wondering about the franchise's plans for Jimmy Garoppolo. So far, the Niners aren't showing their hand, but there is plenty of room for doubt about the QB's future with the team.

Anyway, let's get to the prospects: Jones and Lance.

Brandon Marshall isn't sold on either signal-caller, instead believing that the three best options are Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson.

"Mac can ball. ... This dude is super smart. He makes all the throws. ... This is a guy that probably shouldn't go at No. 3, but he's capable. ... Dude [Trey Lance] is a phenomenal talent. Big boy and he can do it all ... But at the end of the day, we know who the top three quarterbacks in this draft are?"

FOX Sports betting analyst Jason McIntyre agrees with Marshall. In his NFL Mock Draft 9.0, he has the Niners selecting Fields.

Fields boasts a big arm, athleticism, accuracy and running ability. Look no further than when he wowed scouts with a 4.44 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Fields recorded 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions while adding 383 yards and five scores on the ground in a shortened 2020 season.

He is, however, allegedly out of the running with San Francisco, and if the rumors are true, Shannon Sharpe believes the team will select Jones over Lance because of the system at Alabama.

"I believe it's going to be Mac Jones ... but I do believe it's close. It's neck-and-neck."

Jones isn't as mobile as Fields or Lance, but his accuracy is a selling point.

He rewrote Alabama's passing record book in his first season as a starter in 2020, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions en route to a national championship.

With three days to go before draft night, the clock is ticking on the 49ers.

You can be sure media and fans will continue to speculate until San Francisco's name is called.

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