Players and Coaches Shower Trey Lance with Praise after Minicamp

SANTA CLARA -- Last season, the 49ers seemed afraid to talk about Trey Lance on the record. Now, they can't stop praising him.

Here's what prominent members of the 49ers said about Lance this week during minicamp.

DeMECO RYANS: "Trey has done an outstanding job. Each day, Trey has gotten better and better and better. We're proud of where he is right now. Defending him has been tough. He is putting the ball on the money every time he throws it. The accuracy is there. The deep ball is there. Whatever he wants, he can zip it in there and make a lot of plays. I'm excited for Trey and what he can do. He's setting himself up to have a really good season for us."

KYLE SHANAHAN: "I think just having these OTA practices has been really good, because it's about getting reps and going out there. And I feel like for the first couple days, Trey, along with everybody else, they were just trying to win the day, which to me doesn't help you that much. You really have to hone in on getting better. The defense you're going against, they know the offense and you can't try to just go for the big plays. You have to play with your fundamentals and prove with every rep you have, because you don't get many reps of play in this game and you get them fully in the preseason and that's about it before it really counts. And I think Trey has been deliberate in everything he has done. I think especially last week heading into today you can really see him stacking days and getting better each practice."

KYLE JUSZCZYK: "I can only say positive things. I feel like Trey has done a really good job taking on all the different parts of being QB1. I've seen improvement on the field as far as his performance, seen a lot of big plays out there, and as a leader I feel like he has stepped up. He's a very natural leader, a guy people gravitate toward. It has all been good so far."

TRENT WILLIAMS: "I do see the growth. But I couldn't tell that he was in a weird spot last year. Seeing him in the locker room now, in terms of optics, I don't really see a difference in him. He carries himself extremely well, which is why he's here and why everyone's so high on him. We all know his attributes as a quarterback, but his mentality, the way he carries himself, the way he holds his head, the way nothing ever rattles him, that's his key feature and I think it will take him a long way."

Q: Is that surprising coming from someone so young?

TRENT WILLIAMS: "Yeah, very surprising. He just turned 22. He's just old enough to buy a beer. It's very surprising to see a guy with that much on his shoulders and so much publicity around his position, especially here, to see him continue to march forward and get better and block out all the noise is phenomenal."

Q: Do you notice anything different about him on the field?

TRENT WILLIAMS: "Yeah, his command. He's a lot more comfortable. You can tell he has worked on his mechanics. You can tell by his release. He has taken huge steps in the offseason. I can't wait to see how he looks when the live bullets get to flying."

CHARVARIUS WARD: "He's QB1. He's the face of the franchise. He's going to show the world this season."

Q: Any similarities to the quarterback you used to face in practice in Kansas City?

CHARVARIUS WARD: "Patrick Mahomes? Both of them are going to be great quarterbacks. They're light skinned great quarterbacks."