Bryce Lance Turns Strong Senior Season, Trey Lance Mentorship Into Pre-Draft Buzz

Bryce Lance has turned back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns into tangible pre-draft momentum. The North Dakota State receiver finished the 2025 season with 51 catches for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns, capping a college career that SI lists at 127 receptions for 2,157 yards and 25 receiving scores across 57 games. SI also identified Lance as the No. 1 FCS prospect in the 2026 draft class, and evaluators are penciling him as a Day 2 candidate.

Scouts point to a 2024 season that set the tone: Lance posted 75 catches for 1,071 yards and a program- and MVFC-record 17 receiving touchdowns that year, making him the first NDSU wide receiver with multiple 1,000-yard seasons. BigBlueView flagged Lance’s explosiveness, noting he averaged 21.2 yards per catch in 2025, while Emory Hunt of CBS Sports HQ wrote, “I have him as a second-round talent. I would take him in the second round if I had a team.” That second-day framing has circulated among draft analysts, with ESPN’s Matt Miller and other voices suggesting Lance’s traits could push him into Day 2 consideration.

Film work highlights a clear skill set and a small checklist of development points. SI’s scouting notes praise Lance’s linear speed, strong hands, developed route tree, and ability to win the catch point with length and leaping ability, and they emphasize his run-after-catch burst. BigBlueView labeled him “tall, long, athletic, and tough” at roughly 6-foot-3, while noting limitations in close-quarters agility and a release package that still relies heavily on outrunning press coverage. NDSU quarterback Cole Payton underscored the traits evaluators see on tape: “Bryce’s speed – it’s unmatched, the way he can move his body and get around defenders is so special,” and “Really, I’m just throwing it up to Bryce, and I know he’ll be there because of how fast and athletic he is.”

Pre-draft preparation will be family-fueled and highly visible. Bryce and older brother Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, “talk daily and plan to get together following the combine,” and USA TODAY reported that Bryce “will also begin doing on-field work with Trey in preparation for North Dakota State’s March 19 pro day.” Bryce described his brother’s advice simply: “The main thing my brother told me was to be myself, honestly. He knows I’m a hard worker. He knows I do the right things, be at the right spot where I’m supposed to be. Really just this whole process is about being yourself, working hard and doing everything you can to make it.”

Teams weighing Lance will balance scheme fit against polish. SI projects him as a high-end NFL rotational prospect who fits in spread, Air Coryell, or West Coast systems as an X-receiver, while BigBlueView suggested he could project as a starting receiver in a vertical offense. Emory Hunt compared Lance to Romeo Doubs and added that strong showings in agility drills could raise his stock further.

The immediate calendar is simple: the NFL combine looms, Bryce and Trey plan to meet after it, and March 19 is locked for NDSU’s pro day work. Those tests and on-field reps will determine whether Lance slides into the early second day as Emory Hunt predicts or stays a high-upside rotational pick; either way, his back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and the Trey Lance mentorship make him one of the FCS names to watch this spring.