Trey Lance hoping to prove to NFL his one full year was enough

[Sir Purr]

The 6-foot-4, 227-pound Lance ran 169 times for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019. Being able to do that for long in the NFL might be more difficult than doing it against Central Arkansas, and Lance knows that.


"I think for me, I pick and choose my battles," Lance said. "Watching my college tape, all 17 games, you don't see me take too many shots or pick a battle I don't win. I think one of my strengths is that I pick and choose my battles, when to get down and when not to.


"I understand that guys are bigger, faster, stronger at the next level, so I'll continue to pick and choose my battles with that."


While it's easy to pigeonhole mobile quarterbacks, North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz said that Lance has enough potential as a passer to make him dangerous even without that aspect of his game.


"I believe that the best thing about him is above his shoulders," Entz said. "He's extremely intelligent, he's bright, and he has great composure in the pocket, and he's going to be a great leader for whichever organization drafts him."


Lance threw for 2,786 yards in 2019, with 28 touchdowns and no interceptions, and showed the ability to move the ball downfield with his arm (9.7 yards per pass attempt). But that lack of experience will naturally be a concern for a team considering investing a top-10 pick.


Hedberg admitted Lance would be better off with time to learn the NFL game (Hedberg took his lumps as a rookie with the 1977 Buccaneers), but thinks with time, a team's patience will be rewarded.


"Trey can process at the line of scrimmage as quick as anybody I've coached, and I think he's able to see protections, and he's able to see coverages very well," Hedberg said. "I think it's going to be a little bit more complex obviously at the NFL level than the college level, but I think he'll learn that game as he progresses through his time in the NFL."


While sitting behind an established starter might be the ideal situation, Lance isn't going to defer automatically.


"Whatever organization I go to, they know what they're going to get out of me," he said. "I'm going to be as ready as I possibly can, Week 1, to go. I'm a competitor first and foremost, so I'm going to compete for that spot no matter where it is.


"I feel confident that regardless of where I go, I'll be ready to go."