Bryce Lance Prospect Profile
Background
Bryce Lance grew up in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Carlton Lance, who played professionally in the CFL, and the younger brother of Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He attended Marshall High School, where he set school career records in receptions, receiving yards, and interceptions, and was an all-conference basketball player, before committing to NDSU in December 2020, arriving in Fargo just as Trey was leaving for the draft. He wore Trey's #5 jersey, entered the program at 180 pounds, redshirted as a freshman, played strictly special teams in 2022, and caught a single pass in 2023. A new coaching staff came in ahead of 2024, handed him a starting role, and he rewarded them: 75 catches, 1,071 yards, and 17 touchdowns in the regular season, a Missouri Valley Football Conference single-season record. Then, he added 25 catches, 375 yards, and seven touchdowns across four playoff games as NDSU won the national championship. He had Big Ten transfer offers and more NIL money on the table that offseason and turned all of it down to return to Fargo. His final season he had 51 catches for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns, becoming the first wide receiver in program history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, finishing as a Walter Payton Award finalist and consensus FCS First-Team All-American before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft with an MBA in hand.
Physical Attributes
This should come as no surprise to anyone who remembers his brother but:
He is a physical freak. On the field all of it pops, but he does not always show his true top end speed. He can get up there but chooses not to.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my WR radar charts, you can find more information here
Something new above! I had to experiment with it, but I could get FCS players into my radar chart maker and have them appear with the same feel as all my others. Though, just a reminder, these are his stats against FCS competition, so do with it what you will.
I thought Lance had a poor combine, so I was going into this a doubter. And even against the lower level of competition, Lance impressed me more than I thought he would.
Let's start with the physical attributes, because they are insane. His speed does not show up the way you want it to as often as you'd like, but when it did, he flew past people. His missed tackles forced represent the double-edged sword of lower level competition, because if the competition were stiffer, I think he could have a few more, because he ran away from what could have been closer attempts.
His awareness against zone coverage is top end as well. You can tell his dad was a former DB because Lance knows exactly how to annoy any coverage. He sits and continuously works to keep himself open for his QB.
His hands and route-running abilities are in the same bucket. Good, but leaves you wanting more. He cuts well, but the inconsistency in execution comes up often. Some routes are great and give an enormous advantage, others not so much. It is the main reason someone with his physical skills struggles to separate in man coverage.
He wins quickly against press, and especially if he bulks up just a bit more, could play the X role for an offense. He would be more of a sacrificial X, or a pure field stretcher, but he could work through the assignment at least.
Grade and Outlook
Whenever I watch someone from the FCS, especially in today's world of the transfer portal, I need to be wowed by everything I see to have a high rating on a prospect. While watching Lance was enjoyable, I would describe none of it as wowing. Has a combination of intriguing physical and mental tools, but he will already be 24 before Week 1.
Grade: 5.0 (Late 3rd Rounder / Early 4th Rounder)