Scouting Report

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Trey Lance is a legitimate superstar in the making. He has MVP potential and is extremely talented. Lance played for North Dakota State which only played one game in the 2020 season against Central Arkansas. Even with a limited 2020 sample size, Lance’s improvement was obvious. The most notable difference was in his footwork. Lance had calm feet and his drop back was natural. In 2019, there would be instances where his base was too flat, but he was able to work on it in the offseason and everything looked so much more natural. One potential knock on Lance was that he played against lower level competition, however he has never lost a game in college. There have been plenty of NFL quarterbacks who have succeeded despite playing at a small college, so this should not effect Lance’s draft position. 

Trey Lance is an elite dual threat. Lance has a cannon for an arm and can make any throw on the football field. He can throw from any platform and has every intangible a head coach can ever ask for. He’s able to throw on the run and is calm under pressure. Lance throws a beautiful deep ball and can fit throws into tight windows. When throwing on the run, Lance does a nice job keeping his eyes down field and can flip his hips like Deion Sanders. What makes Lance special is what he can do on the run. He is a punishing runner who invites contact and speed that will allow him to outrun defensive backs. Lance also has elite awareness. Despite having over 1,200 rushing yards in the 2019 season, plus the one game he played in 2020, Lance only lost two fumbles. He also only took 12 sacks in 2019 despite playing 16 games. When Lance has a clean pocket, he doesn’t miss throws. Lance has the “dog mentality” that NFL general managers look for in their leaders. 

Everything that Lance struggles with is coachable. The biggest flaw in his game is accuracy, every game there are two throws that may sail over his receivers heads. He also needs to be more patient in the pocket. Lance needs to protect himself better as a runner. His offensive coordinator calls a lot of designed runs and Lance takes a lot of hits. That is part of his physical nature, but that is all coachable. Lance is going to be special once he makes it to the league and he will be a franchise quarterback. 

With only playing one game in 2020, Lance’s body is fresh and he has had over a year and a half to prepare for the NFL. The only reason that Lance played in the one exhibition game is because NDSU wouldn't have had it if he wasn't playing. It was for him to show off for scouts and if NDSU doesn't have that game, Lance's teammates lose their scholarships. Lance has been able to mature in his year and a half off and will be ready for when it’s time to suit up and play in the NFL. Lance is a plug and play guy who makes his teammates better. I think the 49ers are going to draft him at three and he can sit behind Jimmy Garoppolo. I don't think Lance needs to sit, but it maybe to his beneficiary. He doesn’t have any character concerns and in any other draft would be looked at as the number one quarterback prospect. Lance is going to be a superstar at the next level.