Lance ‘super excited’ for Saturday’s pro debut

Rookie QB, 49ers had a very active practice as they ramp up for exhibition opener against Chiefs

SANTACLARA» Trey Lance is “super excited” for his 49ers’ debut in Saturday’s exhibition opener.

That is not just because Kansas City Chiefs counterpart — and dual-threat role model — Patrick Mahomes will be coming to Levi’s Stadium.

Is Lance anxious to meet him, though?

“I guess we’ll see what happens. I’m trying to win the game,” Lance said Wednesday.

Neither coach Kyle Shanahan nor offensive coordinator Mike Mcdaniel have announced Lance’s upcoming role, such as whether he’ll relieve incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who may or may not play.

“Excited to go compete with this locker room of guys, and, at the same time, everything is new,” Lance said. “From the hotel the night before the game to pregame warmup, everything is going to be new. But football is football.”

Also new will be playing in a game and hearing play calls come into his helmet via Shanahan’s radio.

He’s practiced that in a camp he described as “going very well.”

Like Mahomes, Lance comes into the NFL with an impressive arm and mobility, which are quite useful to escape the trouble that comes behind secondstring offensive linemen. He took off running downfield five times Wednesday. He also kept his eyes wide open, looking for potential targets and firing off accurate passes, eventually completing 15-of-20 passes. Enter: Humility. “Obviously I want to keep my eyes downfield and get the ball into the hands of the playmakers,” Lance said. “Those guys are much faster and more dynamic than I am.”

What does Mcdaniel want to see in Lance’s debut?

“Shoot, he hasn’t heard play calls in a (NFL) stadium with fans ever,” McDaniel said of Lance. “Whether he’s outstanding or has rough patches, it’s a process.”

Lance acknowledged that one such rough patch came earlier this week in a goal-line drill, in which he threw short of the goal line on fourth down. Simply put, Lance is excited to get another second crack atthat.

Even though Shanahan vowed to reporters last week that Lance will play this season in some capacity — perhaps in specialized run packages — Lance has yet to hear that directly from him, adding that all his current focus is on training camp.

One aspect that opened Lance’s eyes is how fast tight end George Kittle is, to which Kittle replied: “Oh Trey. He’s 21 years old. He’ll learn at some point and throw the ball out there.”

As loyal as Kittle is to Garoppolo, he didn’t downplay Lance’s upbeat presence — something Kittle and other teammates experienced in a Las Vegas jaunt this offseason.

“Trey’s great. Great personality. Plenty of energy. Good vibe,” Kittle said. “He’s definitely a 21-yearold. I connect with him now and I bet we would have been best friends if I was 21 . ... He’s very professional every day and he enjoys it.”