Shanahan excited to see Trey Lance's San Francisco debut against the Chiefs on Saturday

Trey Lance has been the talk of the town since the San Francisco 49ers snapped up the QB sensation in the first round of the 2021 Draft.

Lance has shown flashes of brilliance in training camp and Niners fans are eager to see the 21-year-old in action when San Francisco play their first preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.

Just as excited as the fans to see Lance make his NFL debut is Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, who confirmed that the rookie will replace Jimmy Garoppolo after one series against the Chiefs.

"I'm excited to see him play, just like everyone else is," Shanahan said. "It's fun to watch quarterbacks go out there for the first time and stuff, but I don't get nervous for the person or anything like that because I think it's fun to watch. I know no one's going to remember his first preseason game. They will the next day, and that's alright."

Shanahan: "I think Trey's going to make the team"

Shanahan also revealed that Trey can expect to make his 53-man roster for the NFL season, regardless of his performance on Saturday.

"I know rookies get some butterflies and stuff, and it is a big deal for them," Shanahan said. "But the reality of it is that it isn't. It's an experience for them. I think Trey's going to make the team, so he doesn't have to go out there and freak out about that, but he knows a lot of eyes will be on him."

With the luxury of knowing he won’t be cut (something that is very rare for a player selected in the first round of the draft), Lance can focus on battling Garoppolo for the starting QB position.

Although, both Shanahan and Niners GM John Lynch stated last week that Garoppollo will remain first-choice, while Lance will play second fiddle, at least for now.

Lance: Everything is new but “football is football”

For his part, Lance also expresses his excitement about making his debut on Saturday, as well as getting to grips with the pregame rituals for the first time.

“Excited to go out and compete with this locker room of guys,” Lance said (via 49ersWebZone.com).

“But kind of at the same time, everything’s new. So just being able to get used to everything - everything from the hotel the night before the game to pre-game warmup. Everything’s going to be new. But at the same time, football is football. So I’ll do everything I can to be as prepared as I can on Saturday.”