49ers’ George Kittle Praises Trey Lance: ‘He Looks Better Out There Than a Rookie’

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Trey Lance’s first organized team activities as a member of the San Francisco 49ers appears to have made a strong impression on one of the team’s best players. 

Tight end George Kittle told reporters the 21-year-old “looks better out there than a rookie quarterback” after Tuesday’s OTA session. 

“I was really excited yesterday, he made an awesome throw on a play action,” Kittle explained. “He found my rookie Josh Pederson on a far corner on a roll-out which is the last guy you would throw it to on the play. The fact that he found him on his first-ever roll-out is pretty cool.”  

The 49ers have high hopes for Lance as their future franchise quarterback. They traded four picks to the Miami Dolphins, including a swap of first-rounders in 2021 and first-rounders in 2022 and 2023, to move up to No. 3 overall and select the North Dakota State star. 

It’s unclear when Lance will get the opportunity to start. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has said he expects Jimmy Garoppolo to be under center for the team in Week 1. 

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, San Francisco considered Lance to be the smartest quarterback in the class, and a source described his psychological tests as “off the charts.”

If Lance’s combination of intelligence and athleticism pays off like the Niners hope, they will be very dangerous in the NFC for a long time. 

Based on Kittle’s early enthusiasm, it seems like the 49ers could have something special in their young quarterback.