As expected, Trey Lance’s first couple training camp practices haven’t been perfect. While reporters on site have had plenty of good things to say about Lance, the rookie growing pains have been evident as well.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t worried about the mistakes. In fact, he told reporters he likes that the miscues haven’t deterred the first-year QB from continuing to be aggressive.
“You don’t have to get on them too much. When he doesn’t have a good throw, he knows that as much as anyone. I just like that he keeps firing it,” Shanahan said. “I mean, some are going to be good. Some are going to be bad. But, the more you get reps, the more you get your feet under you, the more you know where you’re going, the more consistent that’ll be.”
A key to a quarterback’s growth is an ability to turn those mistakes into learning opportunities. The pre-draft buzz on Lance was that he is an extremely smart player, and Shanahan said that bore itself out in meetings before the draft. It stands to reason that high football IQ is helping Lance quickly process the things he’s done wrong.
There’s still a long way for Lance to go, and he may not get significant in-game reps until 2022. As long as he continues learning and progressing on the practice field though, the arrow is going to keep trending up for the No. 3 pick.