{"id":853749,"date":"2026-04-04T18:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853749\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T18:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T18:48:15","slug":"bryce-lance-is-a-perfect-match-for-green-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/853749\/","title":{"rendered":"Bryce Lance Is A Perfect Match For Green Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future of the Green Bay Packers\u2019 wide receiver room is becoming a bit of a brain teaser. They don\u2019t really have room to add anyone, but they also could use some young depth because they only have Matthew Golden<\/a> and Savion Williams<\/a> under contract in 2027. If they add a young receiver in the draft, Bryce Lance out of North Dakota State makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

We may be getting a bit of insight<\/a> on how Green Bay plans to solve the wide receiver riddle. Christian Watson<\/a> presumably isn\u2019t going anywhere. The Packers likely sign him to an extension somewhere around the Jameson Williams<\/a> and Alec Pierce<\/a> deals<\/a>. We also got word that Green Bay would like to extend Jayden Reed<\/a>, and teams<\/a> have been calling<\/a> Green Bay about Dontayvion Wicks<\/a>, assuming that they\u2019ll move a receiver.<\/p>\n

Good read from @TomSilverstein<\/a> today. Interesting note on Brooks. Did wonder if he was in their plans. No doubt needs to have a better season than he had last year.https:\/\/t.co\/ysG60jgEZG<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/x8Hs0a8Mov<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) March 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

That plan makes a lot of sense. The Packers aren\u2019t going to give Reed a blank check, and they aren\u2019t going to trade Wicks for whatever they can get. However, if both deals get done, it leaves Green Bay with a room that makes a lot more sense now and in the future. Watson is the X, Reed is the slot, Golden is a Z, and Williams is the gadget\/special teamer\/backup outside receiver, while Skyy Moore<\/a> is the returner and backup slot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With five players locked into roles, not counting Bo Melton<\/a> because he\u2019s positionless, that leaves a sixth spot for Green Bay to bring in a cheap, young, developmental receiver in the draft.<\/p>\n

Therefore, with Romeo Doubs<\/a> gone and Wicks also potentially out the door, drafting an outside receiver as a replacement makes the most sense. Lance is exactly that, and boy, is he a Packers-type outside receiver.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 6\u20192\u201d, 204 lbs with a 9.94 Relative Athletic Score<\/a>, Lance checks every box physically and athletically for Green Bay. He ran a 4.34 40, had a 1.49 10-yard split, a 41.5\u201d vertical, and an 11.01\u2019 broad jump. All in the 90th-plus percentile. The explosive<\/a> numbers jump off the page. The three cone (4.15s) and short shuttle (7.0s) don\u2019t jump off the page, but they\u2019re both more than good enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trey Lance’s brother WR Bryce Lance runs a 4.34u<\/p>\n

2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork<\/a>
Stream on @NFLPlus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xyl4IHd0QY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL (@NFL) February 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Along with the size and athleticism, he also checked the production box once he got on the field. In his first three seasons, he wasn\u2019t very productive. However, over the last two seasons starting for North Dakota State, he\u2019s had 126 catches for 2,132 yards, averaging nearly 17 yards per catch, with an average of over 21 yards per catch in 2025. He was an elite explosive playmaker in college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know or haven\u2019t figured it out already, the Marshall, MN native has some NFL bloodlines. His brother, Trey Lance<\/a>, is the former third-overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers and played at North Dakota State. Trey\u2019s career hasn\u2019t gone how he\u2019d hoped. However, the San Francisco 49ers traded up to take him third-overall, and he was always an NFL athlete.<\/p>\n

If all of that isn\u2019t enough to convince you of his fit in Green Bay, new Packers wide receiver coach Noah Pauley was the wide receiver coach at North Dakota State before his time with Iowa State and his short-lived time in Happy Valley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He coached Christian Watson from 2019 to 2022, and Bryce Lance\u2019s first two years at NDSU overlapped<\/a> with both of them. Bryce Lance was a redshirt his first year and a mostly limited special teams player his second. However, the two of them will still have additional insight into his personality, how he works, and what he is like in the locker room.<\/p>\n

So, what would he give the Packers offense on the field?<\/p>\n

Strengths<\/p>\n

Bryce Lance is similar to Watson in many ways. We\u2019ve talked about his explosiveness and his size. His ability to get over the top and run away from people with the ball in his hands at his size is his most obvious NFL trait. One thing that he has over Watson is his hands. He\u2019s a much more natural ball catcher than Watson ever has been.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019s great at high-pointing it and coming down strong in contested situations, and he\u2019s also great at tracking the deep shots. Bryce Lance had a 66.7% contested-catch rate<\/a> and a 3.8% drop rate. The strong hands make him a great weapon in the red zone, as evidenced by his 25 receiving TDs over the last two seasons. He had 27 total TDs on 136 touches, which is a TD every five touches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I guess I\u2019m just a booster for NDSU atm<\/p>\n

Bryce Lance has some damn good film momentspic.twitter.com\/8SbDmcTAgF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) March 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s also shone the brightest in the biggest games, including six catches for 125 yards and three TDs against South Dakota State in the 2024 FCS Championship semis, and then putting up nine catches for 107 yards and a TD a game later in the Championship against Montana. Lastly, and this is a must if you\u2019re going to be a Packers WR, he blocks<\/a> his ass off on the edge. It\u2019s also a must if you\u2019re going to be an NDSU wide receiver, so he\u2019ll come prepared for that role.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bryce Lance has many of the stereotypical concerns that come with great athletes playing in the FBS or non-power four conferences, and, in his case, they are valid. Much of the time, he was able to out-athlete the corners he faced. He\u2019s bigger, faster, and stronger than nearly every cornerback he lined up across from.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, that may have stunted some of his growth in refining things like his releases and route running. Bryce Lance needs a good coach to help him maximize his potential as a true wide receiver rather than just an athlete. Who better than the guy who coached him in college?<\/p>\n

On top of that, the overall consensus on his athleticism was that his combine results were a surprise. He was clearly a better athlete than FBS players, but the true 99th percentile athleticism that he displayed at the combine didn\u2019t always show up on tape<\/a>. Lastly, he\u2019s a fifth-year senior, so he is on the older end at 23 years old and will turn 24 before the season starts.
Currently 86th on the consensus big board<\/a>, Bryce Lance\u2019s athletic potential makes him the perfect developmental receiver for Green Bay to take a shot on and not need to force him into the lineup immediately. And what better place to develop than on the team that employs your former college teammate and position coach? It\u2019s the best of both worlds.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t