Yes. Bryce Lance is Trey Lance’s younger brother, and the 2026 NFL Draft wide receiver prospect is walking a path that inverts his brother’s in almost every way. Where Trey rocketed from small-school starter to No. 3 overall pick after one full season at North Dakota State, Bryce spent three years in Fargo barely touching the field before two 1,000-yard campaigns turned him into a draftable prospect in his own right.
How Bryce and Trey Lance Are Related
They’re brothers. The Lances grew up in Marshall, Minnesota, sons of Carlton Lance, a former Canadian Football League cornerback. Both attended Marshall High School, and both chose North Dakota State. That’s where the similarities end.
Trey Lance took over as NDSU’s starting quarterback in 2019, went 16-0, threw 28 touchdowns with zero interceptions, and ran for 1,100 yards and 14 scores. The FCS season was postponed due to COVID-19, limiting him to one fall 2020 showcase game before he declared. The San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up and select him No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The NFL chapter hasn’t matched the college one, as Trey has bounced across three franchises as a backup since then. The 49ers traded him to the Cowboys in August 2023 for a 2024 fourth-round pick. He signed with the Chargers in 2025 and re-signed on a one-year deal in March to return as Justin Herbert’s backup.
Bryce took a different road to the same draft stage. He redshirted in 2021, played special teams in 2022, and caught one pass in 2023 before a breakout in 2024, when he posted 75 receptions, 1,053 yards, and 17 touchdowns. He followed that with another 1,000-plus-yard season in 2025 at over 21 yards per catch. Trey was drafted on projection after 17 college starts. Bryce is getting drafted on production after 126 catches in his final two years.
Bryce Lance Scouting Report: 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile
The evaluation community has paid attention. PFSN lead draft analyst Ian Cummings called Lance “one of the most compelling FCS prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft” in his pre-draft report, and the advanced numbers back it up.
“Lance’s advanced numbers are jaw-dropping,” Cummings wrote. “Per TruMedia, he achieved 3.8 yards per route run, a 21.05% catch rate over expectation, and 6.7 yards of RAC per reception, over two yards more than his expected RAC.”
Cummings credits Lance’s 6-foot-3 frame and vertical-threat identity, noting Lance “feasted” within that role at the FCS level. He also flags the areas that will matter in NFL camps. “He still needs to improve at proactively attacking the football and controlling catch-point positioning, and inconsistent hand technique can be the source of drops,” Cummings wrote.
Lance confirmed the athletic traits in Indianapolis. He measured 6-foot-3, 204 pounds at the 2026 NFL Combine and ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash with a 1.49 10-yard split. He added a 41.5-inch vertical, an 11-foot-1 broad jump, a 4.15-second shuttle, and a 7.00-second three-cone. His Relative Athletic Score came in at 9.95. Every one of those drills put him in the top five among 2026 Combine wide receivers.
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The family name brings attention. The film and the testing numbers have to do the rest of the work, and that’s been Bryce’s entire pre-draft argument. The brother storyline is the hook. The 4.34 is what gets the meetings.
