Trey Lance impresses in his first San Francisco apply

SANTA CLARA – I saw the future of the 49ers. He is six feet tall, weighs 225 pounds, and has an arm that made me say “Wow” more than a couple of times on Friday afternoons.

Nobody really knows if Trey Lance, number 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, will make any difference in the league, but the Minnesota young man certainly has an impressive future on the practice field.

I’ve spent countless hours of my life standing on the sidelines watching soccer players complete drills and no-rush scrimmages. I know it’s not real football, but I also know that you can learn a lot from these exercises.

You look for “it” in such a situation. What is it “? I adhere to the standard made famous in 1964 by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart:

“I know when I see it.”

And folks, # 5 has it. This is what a quarterback should look like in 2021.

I couldn’t see Kyle Shanahan’s reactions from the media perspective, but on Friday the 49ers head coach had seen his quarterback throw as a niner for the first time, and when Lance dashed parabola-free passes all over the field, even the hopelessness made boys boys look like potential pros on tryouts, I fully understood why the 49ers head coach fell in love with him.

Lance performed excellently in his early press conferences, including Friday’s. Roll your eyes if you want, but these things are really important – communication is critical to being successful at the quarterback. Lance is a natural communicator who is calculated without being completely wrong.

Then comes the physical part: the arm is impressive, at least on the short throws the Niners had on Friday – I haven’t seen a deep ball all day. Still, I can say that we haven’t seen this type of darts in Santa Clara since Colin Kaepernick # 7. Lance’s litters have a serious zip.

The footwork is ridiculously clean too. Lance has just turned 21. How could someone so young be so sophisticated with his lower half?

And his arm movement – which tended to get long in North Dakota – was noticeably firmer in person.

Lance may have been the only quarterback on the field, but did he ever stand out?

Again, all this excitement is extremely premature. It will be years before we know whether the child can really play or not – even if they are an instant learner. (Shanahan hasn’t ruled that out.) We still have to see him next to Jimmy Garoppolo, throw at Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, and face Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Javon Kinlaw – let alone an opponent who will actually hit him.

But there is nothing wrong with dreaming a little.

The moment Lance was attracted, my imagination began to take off – what could be Shanahan’s offense with a double threat behind the wheel?

Seeing the rookie quarterback in person on Friday put that imagination into hyperdrive.

The fun is just beginning, but with Lance at the helm, this 49er offense could be a lot of fun.