Bryce Lance
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Bryce Lance could land with the Bills.
Recent North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance is garnering significant interest in NFL teams during the draft process, and one AFC contender wants to land him to replace a key wideout.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo reported that the Buffalo Bills could target Lance to replace Keon Coleman, who hasn’t panned out yet. Coleman has 67 catches for 960 yards and eight touchdowns since 2024 — production that’s below what the Bills are looking for with quarterback Josh Allen in his prime.
“The Buffalo Bills whiffed on Keon Coleman,” Melo wrote about the former 2024 second-round pick. “They may target his replacement in this draft with an existing need for a weapon on the boundary. North Dakota State’s Bryce Lance (Trey Lance’s younger brother) is a 6-3, 210-pound athlete who may leap a 40-inch vertical at the combine. He’s also been productive on the field, compiling consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 24 combined touchdowns.”
Lance has 127 receptions for 2,139 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career with the Bison. He also made an impact rushing with 121 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
The Marshall, Minnesota, native grew up catching passes from Trey Lance, a former Bison quarterback, and they just missed each other by a year at NDSU since the older Lance entered the 2021 draft. Trey Lance, a backup for the Los Angeles Chargers, went No. 3 in the draft with the San Francisco 49ers, but didn’t pan out as a starter.
Where Bryce Lances Fits In With Bills
Buffalo didn’t get the production needed from Coleman along the boundaries, and that’s a strength with Lance, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein noted.
“Fifth-year senior with two seasons of explosive production as a boundary target,” Zierlein wrote. “Lance lacks release quickness/short-area agility as a route-runner but possesses outstanding ball skills and positional instincts that allow him to create catch space.”
“He has run-by speed on the FCS level but won’t be able to rely on pure gas to beat NFL coverage,” Zierlein continued. “He will have to spend more time polishing up his route work. Lance needs a more intentional route tree on the next level, but he’s smart, has good ball skills and should compete for a role as a backup.”
In addition, the Bills have pending free agent wide receivers re-sign with Brandin Cooks and Gabriel Davis. The Bills also lost Tyrell Shavers to an ACL tear during the playoffs, and Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel aren’t likely candidates to move ahead of Coleman.
Bryce Lance: ‘It’s Mine or No One’s’
Lance is on a mission anytime the ball comes his way, and he only grew in confidence during his years in Fargo.
“When the ball’s in the air, the only mentality you have is, ‘it’s mine or no one’s.’ That’s kinda the mindset I’ve had these past two seasons,” Lance told USA Today at the NFL Combine this week.
In his senior season, he improved his yards per catch average by 7.2 yards from 14 to 21.2 per reception. Lance became an All-American and a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
“If I’m known as the deep threat guy, that’s great. Obviously, I want to keep expanding my game into mid-level, short-level routes as well,” Lance said. “Deep routes are fun to run, not gonna lie. Catching a deep ball and going to score is fun for sure, but I want to be an all-around wide receiver at the end of the day.”