It was ahead of the 2023 season that the San Francisco 49ers dealt quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.
This came two years after San Francisco exhausted a ton of draft capital to move up to the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to acquire Lance.
For general manager John Lynch and Co., his small sample size at North Dakota State and questions about how the quarterback’s game would translate to the NFL didn’t really matter. They were enthralled by the young man’s all-around talent.
It did not pan out.
Lance started all of four games in two seasons with the 49ers. He backed up Jimmy Garoppolo as a rookie in 2021. After earning the starting job in 2022, Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury just two games in.
The rest is pretty much history. Brock Purdy eventually took over that season and has not looked back. Hence, San Francisco trading Lance to the Cowboys back in August of 2023. The team ended up receiving Dallas’ fourth-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
About that?
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San Francisco 49ers select Malik Mustapha in pick acquired for Trey Lance
Dallas’ fourth-round pick ended up being No. 124 overall. San Francisco used it to acquire former Wake Forest star safety Malik Mustapha.
He recorded 175 tackles, seven passes defended and three interceptions during his three-year career at Wake Forest.
“Mustapha reads the quarterback, takes sound angles and gets to depth in zone looks. He has the instincts and enough range to cover a deep half. He’s quick to read and react in off-coverage over the slot. Mustapha shows good timing, balance and a closing burst when he blitzes. He’s an aggressive and active run-defender who wraps up — he led Wake Forest in solo tackles in 2023.”
ESPN scouting report on newest San Francisco 49ers draft pick
It’s certainly not fair to the 49ers to compare what this safety does in comparison to the haul they gave up to the Miami Dolphins for the rights to select Lance in the first place. But we know that this pick will be compared to what Lance ends up doing moving forward in his career. That’s for sure.