Jimmy Garoppolo accepts the role to mentor Trey Lance

The San Francisco 49ers selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance as their third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

This led to rumors swarming around Jimmy Garoppolo and whether he was going to be traded or not. On draft night, Jimmy Garoppolo may have saved his spot on the 49ers roster for the 2021-2022 NFL season. Here's how Jimmy Garoppolo secured his spot with the San Francisco 49ers.

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Jimmy Garoppolo reaches out to Trey Lance after being drafted

2021 NFL Draft pick QB Trey Lance

Trey Lance received a message from Jimmy Garoppolo after being selected third overall. The message made Lance feel thankful and grateful to have Jimmy Garoppolo as his mentor. Jimmy Garoppolo confirmed that he reached out to Lance during an interview with ESPN Radio. Garoppolo had this to say about mentoring Trey Lance.

I'm told Jimmy Garoppolo asked for Trey Lance's number immediately after the pick to welcome him to the team.If that doesn't say enough about the character of the people on this team, I don't know what does.#49ers

— Keiana Martin (@KeianaMartinTV) April 30, 2021

"You go through this NFL career and you start as a young guy coming in. Tom kind of showed me the ropes. The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and as a young player. So, that's kind of what me and Trey, we'll mold our relationship into that. But it will happen naturally. It's one of those things you can't force anything. Just let it come as it may."

Jimmy Garoppolo has promised to use all his experience to get Lance up to the mark this season. He said:

"I try to use my own personal experiences and just what I went through, what helped me, what challenged me as a young player. I'm going to use those tools that helped me and try to help Trey out. It's hard to come into this league. I know how it was coming from an FCS school to the NFL. It's a bit of an adjustment, the speed, whatever you want to call it, it's just different. So, whatever I can do to help him, I'll be more than happy."

Jimmy Garoppolo knows that his days are numbered in San Francisco. Garoppolo is willing to do whatever he needs to do to keep his spot on the roster. If the 49ers want him to mentor Trey Lance, he will.

"It pays dividends for Trey Lance and this football team to keep Jimmy Garoppolo, just not as their starting quarterback."@danorlovsky7 on the the 49ers' plan for Jimmy Garoppolo pic.twitter.com/ahaeE9jxwH

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 4, 2021

At the end of the day, Jimmy Garoppolo knows that he's a veteran with a bad injury record. However, he will offer a lot to Trey Lance after learning from Tom Brady in New England. It'll be interesting to see how this situation plays out for both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.