North Dakota State University quarterback Trey Lance declared for the 2021 NFL Draft on Monday. For most draft analysts he’s the third quarterback on their board, sitting behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. That being said, Trey Lance has elite NFL traits and could prove to be the next great dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. It’s not unlikely that he ends up being the best quarterback in this draft class.
North Dakota State may very well be one of the best, if not the best, football dynasty we have ever seen. They have won eight of the last nine FCS championships. It isn’t FBS, but winning this consistently at any level is truly incredible. Fellow Bison Carson Wentz went second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, he’s struggled of late, but there’s no denying he’s had some really great moments in the NFL. All Wentz did was win games and smash records on his way to being the highest selected FCS player ever. Easton Stick, selected in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, experienced similar success while wearing the green and yellow. After these two NDSU legends, it was Trey Lance’s time to shine. Make no mistake, NDSU is an elite program.
The Body of Work at NDSU
Lance’s predecessors were both extremely capable of gaining yards on the ground, but Lance has shown to be an entirely different animal. Standing at 6′-4″, roughly 225 pounds, Lance uses his natural athleticism and this frame to escape from pressure and pick up large gains on a regular basis. In his redshirt freshman season, Lance had 1,100 yards rushing, 14 rushing touchdowns, with an average of six and a half yards per carry. A combination of speed, strength, and instinct, allowed Lance to have his way with any opponent the Bison faced. In his only game of 2020, he rushed for 143 yards, and two touchdowns, on only fifteen carries. Clearly, athleticism is a huge strength of Lance’s, but to be a great dual-threat quarterback you obviously have to also be able to sling the rock.
Lance didn’t have his best showing in the “Trey Lance Showcase Game“, going 15/30 for 149 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. This one game isn’t enough to evaluate Lance, though he did have some bright moments. Looking at his redshirt freshman season, it’s clear that Lance has the ability to throw the ball accurately, as well as demonstrate poise. He finished the 2019-2020 season with 2,786 yards, 28 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Bison won most of these games handily, as they should if Lance is truly the prospect he is being made out to be. Despite having the ball in his hands every play, Lance still threw zero interceptions. The NFL will be world’s different, but a year of perfect ball control doesn’t hurt. If you turn the ball over in college, you will turn it over in the NFL as well.
Trey Lance Will Excel in the NFL
Trey Lance has had one good year of gaudy statistics. He didn’t throw an interception during the 2019-2020 season, he threw well, and ran the ball very effectively. There have been quarterbacks in the past who have done this and succeeded, and those who have failed. Trey Lance will not just be on the side of those who succeeded in the NFL, he will go above and excel. Especially with the new-age style of quarterback we’ve been seeing the last few years. . Whereas it used to be the tall, immobile, tree-like quarterback, today’s new prototype is vastly different. Quarterbacks these days are big, fast, and have rocket strong arms. It seems impossible to be an elite quarterback in today’s era without having rushing ability as part of your game. Lance fits the mold perfectly of this new age quarterback prototype.
Daniel Jeremiah compared Lance to Andrew Luck. Bucky Brooks compared him to Deshaun Watson. Matt Miller compared him to Michael Vick. High praise? No doubt, but it’s not unwarranted. When you watch this guy play he has the same kind of traits that all three of those guys had in college. He has shown he’s not afraid of some contact, able to barrel over defenders if necessary, like Luck. When a play breaks down, he has the game intelligence and instinct to keep the play alive, like Watson. The comparison to Vick I don’t really see, but perhaps from an escapability standpoint. Just like all of these players he’s a winner, and extremely confident, which is vital to NFL success.
While college production is important, teams draft based on NFL traits. Trey Lance has the college production, and he has all the necessary NFL traits to be a great dual-threat quarterback. He reminds me of Patrick Mahomes, which seems like outlandishly high praise, but stylistically it isn’t off. While Mahomes is leaps and bounds better as a passer right now, Lance is much better from a rushing standpoint. They have similar tendencies and body frames. He also reminds me of Josh Allen, and a Bills-esque system would be perfect for him. Allen has a stronger arm, but Lance’s is super solid and more accurate. In this new age, where being a dual-threat is a must, Trey Lance can be great. If he finds himself on the right team, that surrounds him and amplifies his skills, he will be great.
