Is Trey Lance the Most Mistreated Young Quarterback Ever?

Never in the history of the NFL has a young player faced more criticism and mistreatment after just four games than Trey Lance.

The way some people talk about him, you'd think he's the next Johnny Manziel or JaMarcus Russell, who were out of shape and uninterested in football. That's not Lance. By all accounts, he's a hardworker and a serious professional athlete.

Remember, Lance didn't chose to come to the 49ers -- they took him with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. They traded up for him, mortgaged the future for him, used three first-round picks and a third to get him. Then they sat him during his rookie season, but still managed to get him injured twice -- first he broke his index finger in the preseason, then he injured his knee filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 5.

The 49ers sat him for his rookie season because they wanted to develop him the right way -- that's what they said. Then in his second season, they made him the starter. They watched him all offseason and handed him the job. Didn't make him compete with anyone. Then he got injured in the second game of the season, and the injury was not his fault.

Recently at the NFL's Annual Meetings, Kyle Shanahan said he believes Lance would have had a good season last year had he stayed healthy. And yet, Lance now is competing with Sam Darnold to be the backup quarterback, not with Brock Purdy to be the starter. Clearly, the 49ers have soured on Lance, although they haven't said why.

National Insiders Adam Schefter and Albert Breer both have suggested that the 49ers feel they've given Lance plenty of chances to prove himself in practice and he simply hasn't impressed.

But if that's the case, if Lance really is a poor practice player, why did the 49ers make him their starter last season? Why did they start him over Purdy if they knew Purdy is better?

If the 49ers are so good at judging quarterbacks based on practice, why didn't Purdy start Week 1 last season? Or Week 3 after Lance got injured? Why would the 49ers turn to Jimmy Garoppolo, who didn't practice all offseason, before they turned to Purdy? Remember, the 49ers spent three first-round picks and a third just to get rid of Garoppolo. They didn't let him practice or give him a playbook. They wanted him gone. Then they played him over Purdy, who now is the starting quarterback.

It seems the 49ers had no idea how good Purdy would be based on practice. Which would mean they probably have no idea how good Lance will be until they play for extended stretch of games.

Lance is a victim of the 49ers' inability to accurately assess the most important decision.