There could be a lot on Trey Lance’s shoulders if the sophomore is asked to lead the San Francisco 49ers offense in 2022. That’s the plan, after all. Most expect the team to part ways with last season’s starter Jimmy Garoppolo, making 21-year-old Lance the most likely candidate to start. Of course, that’s assuming you dismiss any rumors that a recently retired future Hall of Fame quarterback would end up on Kyle Shanahan’s roster.

NFL Media analyst Brian Baldinger recently filmed Lance, highlighting some things the young quarterback needs to work on this offseason (h/t 95.7 The Game for discovery).

“We saw [Bills QB Josh Allen] do it in his 3 seasons to become elite,” Baldinger wrote via tweet. “No reason Trey can’t do the same.”

It is praise from the respected analyst.

Baldinger takes a look at the times Lance was sprinkled into the 49ers game plan early in the season, being quickly inserted in place of Garoppolo to confuse opposing defenses and add a running quarterback threat. He also looks at some pieces of his seldom longer playing time.

As for areas of improvement, Baldinger points out that the former No. 3 overall pick needs to be more specific. Next, he focused more on another area of ​​improvement, noting Lance’s longer liquidation on throws.

“It’s got to get tighter,” Baldinger said. “It’s got to get tighter or you’re going to knock the ball out of your hands. Guys are going to read you. You need to read defense a little better. … Just tighten up the release. That’s one of the focuses this offseason. .”

Lance’s teammate Deebo Samuel also thinks this is a great offseason for quarterback development, noting the importance of his own second offseason. Of course, Samuel had to deal with an injury, which set him back a bit.

“So I feel like the more time passes [Lance is] able to set up and get the mechanics, he’ll know what it takes to be a pro,” Samuel said. “I feel like he will do a good job in this league.

Longtime NBC Sports scribe Peter King also recently stressed the importance of Lance having a great offseason. However, he didn’t put it all on the quarterback, noting that the 49ers need to make sure they have a solid plan in place for the youngster.

“[Lance] gotta have a great offseason, not a great offseason,” King said. “He must have a great offseason. And so, for me, when I look at what they have to do, I think it has to be something that Trey Lance is going to have to put in and do whatever Kyle Shanahan wants him to do.

“Look, they’re prohibited from doing a lot of things because of the collective agreement, but you can voluntarily do whatever you want. So I think they have to spend an inordinate amount of time making sure Trey Lance is ready to go. and ready to play at a high level. That would be my No. 1 priority.”