Trey Lance Helped His Draft Stock In A Big Way With Great Pro Day
Trey Lance didn't get much of an opportunity to put his talents on display in 2020. The North Dakota State product played in only one game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was against Central Arkansas.
In that one game, he completed just 50 percent of his passes for 149 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Lance did show his ability on the ground, however. He rushed for 143 yards and two scores on only 15 carries. The Bison won 39-28.
That was it though.
While Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Mac Jones showed their growth on the field, Lance was already preparing for the NFL behind the scenes. This past Friday, we finally got to see some of the results.
As expected, Lance was fantastic during his Pro Day. First off, he measured in at just under 6-foot-4 and weighed 224 pounds. Those checked boxes are in his favor, but size isn't everything.
We know he's got plenty of mobility, as he produced 1,325 career rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in only 18 career games. We also know he makes good decisions with the football, as evidenced by his 30 career touchdown passes with only one interception.
Still, his game time sample size is limited, and he's mainly faced lesser competition. Players such as Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz, who also played at FCS schools, have made the transition to the NFL, but that doesn't mean level of competition isn't part of the evaluation.
Well, his Pro Day went about as well as he could have hoped.
Heavy on Falcons recently dove into Lance's performance. They did a great job recapping the reactions from various people, including Kim Jones of the NFL Network. She thought Lance "hit a home run," and NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein agreed with her.
He completed 58 of his 66 passes (88 percent) while going through a variety of drills to show off his skill set. Lance has the makeup of a modern quarterback, and while he might not go No. 1 or No. 2 overall, neither did Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson a few years ago.
Mahomes and Watson were the second and third quarterback taken in the 2017 NFL Draft, yet they were home run picks. No, I'm not saying Lance'll be as good as Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson. That type of statement would be premature, but it's even less likely that he'll be Mitchell Trubisky.
There's also this past draft class. Joe Burrow looks solid, and Tua Tagovailoa still has potential. But Justin Herbert looks like the home run after one season.
The point here is that Lance could end up being the best quarterback in this class, even if he is picked as the third, fourth or even fifth quarterback. He's certainly worthy of a top-10 pick, and I wouldn't be surprised if he went top-5.
His Pro Day didn't solidify that, but it helped.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.