Was the Trey Lance Trade a Panic Move?

Was their plan all offseason to trade three first-round picks and a third for a draft pick, or was that a panic move after Plan A fell through?

After the 49ers acquired the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they chose the right quarterback when they took Trey Lance.

But how did they wind up with the No. 3 pick in the first place? Was their plan all offseason to trade three first-round picks and a third for a draft pick, or was that a panic move after Plan A fell through?

Consider this.

Before the 49ers traded for Lance, they were widely linked to Deshaun Watson, who had requested a trade from the Houston Texans. Then on March 16, 2021, the first civil suit was brought against him. A mere 10 days later, the 49ers traded three firsts and a third to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 3 pick, which they used to take Lance.

Keep in mind, the Browns recently traded three firsts, a third and a fourth to the Texans for Watson and a fifth. So Cleveland essentially traded the Trey Lance package for Watson, who has gone to three Pro Bowls. That's a fair trade. Three firsts and a third for a quarterback who has played one year of college football at North Dakota State is not a fair trade. That's robbery.

It seems likely that Plan A for the 49ers last year was to trade three firsts and a third for Watson and, once the civil suits popped up, they panicked and pivoted to Plan B -- Lance. Which would explain why the 49ers admittedly attempted to trade the No. 3 pick for Aaron Rodgers the day before the draft, and still haven't named Lance their starting quarterback. Remember, Kyle Shanahan said he wants a quarterback who runs like Lamar Jackson and throws like Drew Brees. That's Watson, not Lance.

To be fair, if Lance becomes a franchise quarterback, no one will care how the 49ers went about getting him. But he has to be great, or at least as good as Watson, otherwise he won't live up to the expectations the 49ers created for him.