Trey Lance is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after a highly-touted career at FCS school North Dakota State University. Lance played high school football at Marshall Senior High in Marshall, Minnesota. He is the son of Carlton Lance, who played cornerback at Southwest Minnesota State University and spent a season in the CFL. As a high school prospect, Lance was viewed as the top quarterback in the state of Minnesota. Not receiving offers from any Power Five schools, Lance committed to NDSU. Lance redshirted in his freshman season, but would go on to become the starter in 2019 and lead the Bisons to the FCS National Championship Game. He posted impressive passing stats that 2019 season, throwing for 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions, while also rushing for 1,100 yards and 14 TDs. Lance set the NCAA record that season for most pass attempts without an interception and was named First-Team All-MVFC and MVFC Offensive Player of the Year. His Passer Rating was 180.6 in 2019, his lone full season as a starter, and his lifetime College Passer Rating is 173.8.
Viewed as a raw prospect heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers and General Manager John Lynch opted to bank on Lance’s elite upside and traded up to draft him third overall. Lance possesses an 81st-percentile 4.69 40-time, and a sizeable 6-foot-4, 226-pound frame. Despite speculation that Lance would take control of the 49ers’ quarterback room in 2021, veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo kept the rookie Lance at bay. Lance started only two games in Weeks 5 and 17, when Garoppolo was sidelined with injuries.
In his first two NFL starts, Lance went 1-1, looking every bit like the raw prospect he figured to be. While he struggled in his Week 5 start against Arizona, his Week 17 start against the Texans offered more promise. Lance went 16-of-23 passing for 249 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 23-7 win against the Texans, also tacking on 31 rushing yards. Lance would complete just 57.5-percent of his passes in 2021, his accuracy needing drastic improvement heading into 2022. Per Next Gen Stats, Lance ranked No. 5 in rushing attempts per game (6.3) and No. 32 among quarterbacks with five red zone carries. Lance completed 57.1-percent of his passes while under pressure, and completed 38.5-percent of his Deep Balls. He threw for 648 air yards in limited action, and was on pace to hit 1,836 Air Yards on the year.
Heading into the 2022 season, Lance was named the starter with Garoppolo as the back up. Unfortunately, Lance broke his fibula and was ruled out for the year. Garoppolo carried the team until he suffered the same injury. Brock Purdy then took hold of the job, commanding the Shanahan offensive system masterfully before he suffered a UCL injury in the playoffs. Purdy was named the 49ers starter for 2023. Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, where he plays backup to Dak Prescott.
