The last-minute mock drafts are split on who the 49ers are taking at No. 3

This will be the last time you read a 49ers draft pick in the first round until 2024. That is, unless San Francisco trades back into the first. That’s pretty wild to think about, and gives you an idea how important today is for this organization.

Here is a look at some last minute mock drafts:

One last NFL mock draft: Yeah, we definitely got it right this time

Sorry, just not buying Mac Jones here. There isn’t really anything Jones can do that the other top quarterbacks can’t do. Take the player that can burn the league down if he hits. That’s Trey Lance.

PFT’s one, and only, mock draft of the year

3. 49ers (from Houston via Miami): Justin Fields, quarterback, Ohio State.

Yeah, the 49ers reportedly have narrowed their pick to Mac Jones and Trey Lance. Until they make the pick, however, anything can happen. Maybe something surprising will occur, as the 49ers strike the balance between the need for someone who can play now against the reality that the fans will lose their minds if it’s Mac Jones.

NFL mock draft 2021: Mel Kiper’s final predictions for top 32 picks, including surprise quarterback fits and three trades

3. San Francisco 49ers (via MIA through HOU)

Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

I’m going to stick with Jones here, though there continues to be considerable buzz around the Niners’ interest in Trey Lance.

NFL mock draft 2021: Todd McShay’s final predictions for all 32 first-round picks, QB landing spots, trades, more

3. San Francisco 49ers (via MIA/HOU)

Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State

This is where it gets interesting, with a departure from what we’ve been predicting for the past month (Alabama’s Mac Jones). Lance has a huge arm and the tools to develop into an excellent NFL starter. He has only 17 career starts, all at the FCS level, but he’d have a chance to learn and develop behind Jimmy Garoppolo for a year or two before taking over.

So, more and more folks are leaning towards Trey Lance, with Florio being the only person who believes it’s Fields at No. 3.

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe had a thread that I found interesting:

There’s a reason the 49ers put out so many smokescreens. While everyone says Shanahan would fall for Mac Jones, I could see him gushing over Zach Wilson. I’m buying what Howe is selling.

Wilson has worked with John Beck for over a year. Knowing that Shanahan and Beck have a strong relationship, it’s easy to connect the dots between the two. Fields started working with Beck this offseason, while Trey Lance started this past month.

If we’re going based on that, then there’s the order of Shanahan’s QBs. We’ll see if the Jets take Fields. If they do, San Francisco likely sprints to the podium to take Wilson. If not, it’s Fields.