Jimmy Garoppolo is the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback … for now. The team selected Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and it clearly wasn't just to be a perennial back up.

Though the writing may be on the all for Jimmy G as QB1 for the 49ers, it's not going to happen right away. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan revealed what it's going to take for Trey Lance to become the franchise starter down the line.

Via NBC Sports Bay Area:

“It's not just knowing it from being able to write it down on the board,  and being able to answer any questions and pass any test we give him. He's been good at that since we got him. He studies real hard in everything. But it's going in the heat of battle versus NFL defenses and having to react, and get the ball to the right spots, and know where to go.

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The NFL game is an entirely different beast, and most rookie QBs learn that the hard way. That's exactly why young passers used to take a lot longer to see significant action in the past, but we're now seeing a handful of young quarterbacks taking up the mantle of starter right off the bat. But Shanahan clearly wants Trey Lance to prove that he's ready for the 49ers starting job before handing him the steering wheel.

“That's really hard to do [for] rookie quarterbacks, and that's what's been a big challenge. That's a big challenge for all rookie quarterbacks because the NFL moves so fast.

We'll find out soon enough if Trey Lance is ready for the NFL. How fast he picks it up will determine how soon he takes control of the 49ers' destiny.