Rookie Spotlight: Bryce Lance WR, North Dakota State

Height: 6-3

Weight: 204

Hands: 9 ⅛”

Arm: 32 ⅛”

40 yard dash: 4.34 (official)

2026 Age: 25

NFL Comparison: Christian Watson, Alec Pierce

Other RW Staff Comps: Andrei Iosivas

Breakout Age: 23 (SR)

Pros

• 2,157 yards and 25 TDs his last 2 seasons. Two back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons is impressive, even in the FCS
• Rare size/speed freak. One of the most explosive athletes in Combine history – 98 athleticism score, and his relative athletic score (RAS) is the 7th highest in history
• X receiver who can also play inside. Has elite hands in the open field and in traffic – only 2 drops on 99 targets in last season – 2.4% drop rate.
• Character guy. Was reportedly offered 7 figure NIL deals from Power Four programs after his breakout but decided to stay with North Dakota State
• 94th percentile 10-yard split rubber-stamps noticeable acceleration proficiency on tape; gets up to speed very quickly 
• Deep ball specialist. 62% of targets came 10+ yards downfield
• Contested catch proficient. Brought in 62% of contested targets
• NFL family (brother of Trey Lance)

Cons

• Needs to work on release to compete with NFL corners in press coverage.
• Runs a pretty simplistic route tree
• Mediocre run-blocker – probably more effort related than strength based.
• Old for a rookie at 25
• Lacks short-area agility

Fantasy Outlook: 

Lance’s uncanny athletic upside will have teams champing at the bit to add him to their rosters, but his late ascendance in what many would consider a subpar conference will probably keep him out of the first couple of rounds. That being said, his ability to stretch the field and win in contested catch situations makes him more than a dart throw in today’s pass-happy NFL, and with his blocking issues being more mental than physical, he should be able to find a way to stay on the field. A raw prospect in some respects, Lance may take time to develop in the NFL, as he did in college, but the payoff is palpable and worth investing in in dynasty formats. You can likely get him in Round 4 of your rookie drafts which is generally a throwaway pick. Certainly worth the meager investment at that point to see how things pan out. 

(TRASHMAN)