SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

ESPN Believes Trey Lance “Might Be An MVP Candidate”

Aug 17, 2022, 8:00 AM

Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers lines up before the snap during the game against the Green...

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 12: Trey Lance #5 of the San Francisco 49ers lines up before the snap during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on August 12, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Packers 28-21. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

The Trey Lance hype train continues to pick up steam. The latest hype comes from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, essentially calling the San Francisco 49ers quarterback a potential MVP candidate.

To say he’s excited to see Trey Lance play is an understatement. Lance is the only player listed in Barnwell’s “bench to supernova” section. With coach Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, Barnwell believes Lance and the offense can cause a lot of trouble for opposing defenses, liking Lance’s abilities to Lamar Jackson.

“Lance is the perfect fit for Shanahan, whose best quarterback as an offensive playcaller has been Matt Ryan. Lance unlocks elements of the offense that simply weren’t possible in years past and makes life easier for everyone else on the field. He gets to play with the league’s best left tackle and the third-best set of playmakers in football heading into the season. Lance is about to have a special season.”

Two other 49ers players were noted in Barnwell’s column. In the section titled “post-hype breakouts,” the ESPN columnist highlights receiver Brandon Aiyuk and defensive end Charles Omenihu. The section focuses on players who should have a bounce-back year after either exploding in production early in their career or who failed to live up to last year’s hype.

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