Trey Lance, The next best NFL QB.
One of the best QB’s In North Dakota State history and a top prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft, you might have guessed it, Trey Lance. In 19 games in the Bison uniform he put up 2,947 , 30 TDs, and just 1 INT in 19 games.
Strengths
The biggest strength that Lance has, which I think will be the biggest reason that he will succeed in the NFL, is escaping pressure and running out of the pocket. He had some of the best rushing numbers from a QB in, not just the FCS, but in all of College Football. Lance's totals rushing stood at 1,182 yards and 16 TDS on 177 attempts. When Lance escapes the pocket, he doesn't always choose to run it. He has the best running throw in the 2020 draft and will need that at the next level as the NFL is increasingly becoming a running QB's league. On top of his physical traits, Lance reads defenses with lighting quick precision which allows him to stay in the pocket, or to escape if need be. This has been the key to his remarkable TD-INT ratio.
His accuracy throwing the football is incredible. No matter if it's throwing the ball deep down the field, or just a short dump off pass, Lance always finds the breadbasket. His 67.0% accuracy in his NDSU career is very impressive; his pass completions to pass attempts is 208-318. Lance does need to improve his efficiency on short passes, but that won't be much of a problem for Lance in the NFL. He has shown promise by working on his touch at close range and will master these routine, but difficult short passes with the right coaching staff to help him. His deep passes 9/10 times are right in the receivers hands and is great at hitting them in stride. The right NFL team will utilize Lance's athleticism to make available downfield strikes using play-action or RPO.
Weaknesses
The main weakness NFL teams will be concerned about is the lack of experience. As you all know, North Dakota State is in the MVC (Missouri Valley Conference), which is an FCS conference. He hasn't played any Power 5 defenses, nor any FBS defenses, in his career and will certainly be scrutinized for level of competition. The best defenses he has faced are James Madison and South Dakota State. He also lacks the experience as a starter. Despite only starting 18 games at NDSU, Lance did lead the Bison through the FCS 24 team playoff, delivering NDSU their 36th championship.
As there are 87 more days until the NFL Draft in Cleveland (On April 29th-May 1st), the Bison faithful and the NFL world are interested in where Lance will end up. Will it be San Fransisco, Detroit, Denver, or even Carolina?We will see on draft day. Personally, I think Lance’s best fit is the Niner’s for many reasons. They have great weapons in a rising Brandon Ayiuk, George Kittle, and Raheem Mostert whom I think can be a top 6 RB when healthy in the backfield. In my opinion, I think Lance will become the second best QB in the draft when the smoke clears behind Trevor Lawrence. I'm very excited to see how Trey Lance's career pans out, but for now, Go Bison!!