Bryce Lance
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The 49ers have been urged to select Trey Lance's brother, Bryce Lance, in the 2026 NFL Draft
The San Francisco 49ers were busy over the past week or so evaluating some of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft class at the draft combine in Indianapolis. While scouts have been evaluating prospects for several months now, the combine is the first big step that players and teams take towards reaching the draft.
Per usual, there were several standout performers throughout the event. In a surprise, though, North Dakota State Bison wide receiver Bryce Lance, who is the younger brother of former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, starred during his drills. And after the dust settled on his performance, one team insider urged San Fran to select Lance in the 2026 draft.
49ers Pushed to Select Bryce Lance in 2026 NFL Draft
David Lombardi
Years ago, John Lynch talked of wanting to draft Trey Lance’s brother. And yes, the 49ers will (and should) absolutely look into it now
Back in the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers selected Trey with the No. 3 overall pick, with the hope being that he’d become their quarterback of the future. Injuries hampered Trey early in his career, though, and he eventually ended up losing his job to Brock Purdy. That led to the front office shipping Trey off to the Dallas Cowboys, and he ended up spending the 2025 campaign as the Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback.
While Trey’s path in the NFL hasn’t been what he was expecting to this point, his younger brother’s is about to get started. Bryce has starred for North Dakota State over the past two seasons, and he is fresh off a dominant 2025 campaign that saw him rack up 51 receptions, 1,079 yards, and nine total touchdowns. The year before, though, Bryce had a whopping 18 total touchdowns for the Bison.
There’s no doubt the numbers are strong, but Bryce didn’t play against great competition in college, which has some evaluators skeptical of his true potential. However, Bryce was one of the standout performers during the combine, and it led team insider David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard to suggest that the team will take a very close look at him in the pre-draft process.
“Years ago, John Lynch talked of wanting to draft Trey Lance’s brother. And yes, the 49ers will (and should) absolutely look into it now,” Lombardi said in a post on X.
Should the 49ers Draft Bryce Lance?
GettyFARGO, NORTH DAKOTA – NOVEMBER 19: Bryce Lance #5 of the North Dakota State Bison catches a pass prior to the game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at FARGODOME on November 19, 2022 in Fargo, North Dakota. (Photo by Sean Arbaut/Getty Images)
Bryce is a physical outside receiver who can make plays at all three levels of the field. His size has also helped him emerge as a top-notch red zone threat, which is something the Niners could certainly use in their passing game. Things didn’t work out for Trey in San Francisco, but who’s to say the same thing would be true for Bryce?
As of right now, Bryce’s draft projection is a bit all over the place, as some evaluators have him graded as a late Day 2 selection, while others believe he won’t come off the board until the fifth round. A strong combine performance should only help Bryce’s draft stock rise, though, and you can bet the Niners will be keeping tabs on him over the next few weeks.