With a college statistical pedigree that any quarterback would be jealous of, San Francisco 49ers QB and North Dakota State alum Trey Lance enters his rookie years with high hopes on his shoulders.

Lance, like fellow draft class mates Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, offers an elite dual threat skillset which poses equally deadly threats both through the ground and through the air. Over 19 career college games, he carried the ball 192 times for 1325 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns – averages of a whopping 69.74 yards and .95 touchdowns per game on 10.11 carries.

He also threw only one interception compared to 30 passing touchdowns, meaning his total TD/INT ratio was 48/1. Not bad.

Heading into 2021, Trey Lance most likely won't be the starter, as Jimmy Garoppolo hinted at recently. But, if/when he does, Lance will inherit one of the most skilled offensive rosters in all of football. That includes the beast of a tight end George Kittle, physical freak Brandon Aiyuk, talented pass catchers in Deebo Samuel and Richie James, and explosive running backs in Raheem Mostert and Trey Sermon.

Kyle Shanahan is a modern mastermind in today's NFL, and he'll have a good idea of exactly what he wants out of Lance in his rookie year. But do we? Here's 4 bold predictions on Trey Lance's rookie campaign.

4. Lance starts Week 8 against the Bears

Garoppolo and the Niners get a couple easier games to start the year with the Lions in Week 1 and the Eagles in Week 2, but it gets rough from there. The next 6 games are as follows – Packers, Seahawks, at Cardinals, Colts, at Bears, Cardinals, Rams. Brutal.

Though the 49ers are talented enough to be competitive in those games, Jimmy G isn't quite elite enough to win more than a game against the league MVP, Russell Wilson, the dynamic Cardinals offense and defense, and the Colts stubborn defense.

With 3 more difficult games coming after that stretch, and San Fran desperate to vie for contention in the competitive NFC West, Lance will get his chance come Week 8, in a duel with fellow talented rookie Justin Fields.

3. Lance struggles out of the gate

Though Lance is certainly the most talented quarterback on the 49ers roster, he isn't the most explosive player. That's because he's had a tendency to be somewhat overly cautious with where he slings the ball. That's good for keeping the ball out of their own territory, but not good for punching it in on the opponents' side of the field.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein puts it best:

“[Lance is] currently more of a “yellow light” quarterback who needs to find a “green light” risk-taking mentality to become a playmaking talent in the NFL.”

If Lance does end up starting in Week 8 against the Bears, it's going to take more than simple game managing and taking easy throws to beat his first three opponents.

Conservative in nature, Trey Lance will get off to a difficult start to his career in the explosive play department, and won't quite hit his deep ball stride until later in the year.

2. Lance finishes with 5/1 TD/INT ratio

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Deebo Samuel next to the Bills and Patriots logos

Benedetto Vitale ¡

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk next to 49ers general manager John Lynch and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk has a speech bubble that says “Fire pick, can’t lie.”

Ben Strauss ¡

Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel with blank jerseys and question mark in the middle of both jerseys. NFL Draft logo in the background

Angelo Guinhawa ¡

Lance's conservative playstyle might be a hindrance at first, but his end of season statistics will thank him for it. As he begins to gain confidence throwing the ball deep to Aiyuk and Kittle, their talent will allow Lance and the rest of the Niners offense to kick into high gear down the home stretch of the season, and Trey will go on a rampage.

With weaker defenses in the Jaguars, Vikings, Seahawks, Bengals, Falcons, Titans, and Texans rounding out the final half of the 2021 campaign, Lance should be able to feast both on the ground and through the air. Even if some of these teams do manage to have improved years on the defensive side of the ball, Shanahan is the kind of coordinator who simply schemes guys open and puts his QB in a position succeed, no matter who's at the helm.

Lance is the most talented QB that Shanahan has had from a physical standpoint, and it will be a marvel to see how he utilizes him once the two get used to each other's tendencies.

1. Lance leads the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game

Riding a scorching-hot stretch into the playoffs, the Niners will earn a bye in the first round, and Lance will lead San Fran to their second NFC Championship Game in 3 seasons. While his supposed elite 4.5 40 yard dash time and sublime decision making skills will allow the 49ers talent to buoy him to the NFL's semifinal match, a duel with Aaron Rodgers, a notorious decision making wizard himself, will be the end of the road for the 49ers.

Still, Trey Lance will have an excellent rookie campaign, signaling a bright future for football in the Bay.