Brock Purdy or Trey Lance? That is a question the San Francisco 49ers don't know the definitive answer to just yet. But they drafted Lance third overall in 2021 for a reason — and they're ready to see what they have in the 23-year old QB.

Lance hasn't had too many opportunities to prove his worth as a QB1, having started in just four games through his first two seasons (due to injury woes). But now, the 49ers, a team that went 13-4 last season and fell just short against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, are ready to throw him into the fire once more.

49ers fans need not worry, however; the early reports coming out of their OTAs indicate that Trey Lance has been impressing the coaching staff with his entire offensive arsenal. But his arm — which has been one of his main selling points as a QB1 in waiting — is not what has impressed them the most. According to David Lombardi and Matt Barrows of The Athletic, Lance has wowed the 49ers' assistant coaches with his exquisite footwork.

“Getting to know Trey and watching his film from previous years, I see a lot of improvement in his overall mechanics. What stands out is his footwork,” passing game specialist Klint Kubiak said. “And I think that’s stuff that (quarterbacks coach) Brian (Griese) and (assistant quarterbacks coach) Klay (Kubiak) definitely have worked on. He just seems really comfortable with what you’re asking him to do. I love how his feet have progressed at this point of his career.”

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Given how the human body works, arm strength isn't the sole deciding factor that separates the best quarterbacks from the mediocre ones. As Kubiak elaborated, the more the body is in sync from head to toe, the more an NFL quarterback can speed up his delivery — opening up passing routes aplenty. And the 49ers' new QB1, as young as he is, is already showing glimmers of excelling in that aspect of the game.

“The timing’s all a little bit different,” Kubiak said. “And we’re asking him to master the tempo, asking him to match his feet with each play. And I think that’s a tough thing to do. And with him going into Year 3 in this system, he has a lot of knowledge of what Kyle’s asking from him. You can tell that he’s put the work in,” Kubiak added.

Lance may be up for a big year as the 49ers' QB1 — and no one should be surprised when that comes to fruition.