Bryce Lance rises from obscure contributor to likely Day 2 NFL pick
A 4.34-second 40 and 1,079 yards turned Bryce Lance from a one-catch junior into a likely Day 2 pick. He is now North Dakota State's first receiver with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
Bryce Lance looked like a receiver rising into the second and third rounds at the NFL combine. At 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, the North Dakota State wideout ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, posted a 41.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot-1 broad jump, then walked away with a 98 athleticism score from NFL.com, the No. 2 mark among wide receivers at the event. HERO Sports projects him in the second to third round, and Draft Scout lists him at No. 84 overall and the No. 13 receiver.
That kind of momentum would be notable for any prospect. It is striking for Lance because two years earlier he entered his junior season with one career catch for seven yards. He exploded in 2024 with 75 receptions, 1,053 yards and 17 touchdowns, production that helped North Dakota State win another national championship and earned him first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. He came back in 2025 instead of chasing Power Four interest and delivered again, catching 51 passes for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns.
The numbers pushed Lance into rare school territory. North Dakota State says he became the first receiver in Bison history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons, and his 1,079 yards in 2025 ranked third in a single season in program history and 11th among all FCS players that year. He also finished 12th in Walter Payton Award voting and landed first-team All-America recognition from Stats Perform, AFCA, the Associated Press, FCS Football Central, the FCS Athletic Directors Association and Phil Steele.
His best games showed why evaluators moved him up the board. Lance had four 100-yard outings in 2025, including 159 yards on four catches against Southeast Missouri State, 131 yards on eight catches against Northern Iowa, 103 at South Dakota State and 106 against St. Thomas. North Dakota State finished 12-1 overall and 8-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and Lance entered the year on the Walter Payton Award watch list after being named a preseason All-America first-team selection.
The path has also been shaped by the quarterbacks around him. Cam Miller, who threw to Lance from 2021 through 2024, was drafted in 2025, and senior Cole Payton is expected to hear his name called this year. Lance, from Marshall, Minnesota, has built a separate star turn from his brother Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and his own résumé now looks every bit like a receiver ready for Day 2.
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