Grading 49ers QBs Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance vs. the Raiders

SANTA CLARA -- Here are the grades for Jimmy Garoppolo's and Trey Lance's preseason performances against the Las Vegas Raiders.

JIMMY GAROPPOLO: C

Definitely looked better and more confident than he did last week against the Chargers, when he was skittish and innaccurate on almost every play. Against the Raiders, Garoppolo at least seemed willing to get hit -- he took two big hits when he ran for a touchdown, which was a nice play. And as a passer, he was OK. Posted a 87.8 passer rating against a bad defense that sat most of its starters. Garoppolo was far from lights out, but it seems clear he will start Week 1. Still, l don't expect him to play well against an NFL defense playing all its starters in a regular season game. Call me cynical. The 49ers should continue to use a two-quarterback system until Lance is ready to take over full time, because Garoppolo will only break your heart.

TREY LANCE: C-Minus

Split time with Garoppolo on the first-string offense, and Lance's mere presence on the field immediately improved the run game even though he mostly handed off. He eventually scored a rushing touchdown and began scrambling when necessary, which is a good sign of improvement. But he still fired short passes too hard and missed easy throws he should have hit. He finished the game 6 for 13, and technically his receivers dropped 3 of his passes, so he should have been 9 for 13, which would have been good. But Lance's passes are extremely difficult to catch. His receivers will continue to drop lots of throws until he takes some velocity off them.

The 49ers' inability to get the No. 3 pick in the draft ready to start Week 1 is troubling. If they wanted to give Jimmy Garoppolo another shot, they should have stood pat at pick No. 12 and taken Mac Jones. The 49ers don't seem to have a coherent plan at quarterback right now. Maybe a plan will emerge next week.