The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things across the sports world this year.
From playoff bubbles to truncated schedules to intensive safety protocols, every level of competition has been impacted in some way by the current global health crisis.
For the NFL draft universe, one such wrinkle is Saturday’s game between North Dakota State and Central Arkansas, which is the only game the Bison are set to play this fall. It will therefore serve as a one-game audition for NDSU quarterback Trey Lance, who was already getting first-round projections after his incredible redshirt freshman season.
Listed at 6-4, 226 pounds, Lance dominated in 2019, throwing 28 touchdowns and no interceptions, completing 67 percent of his passes. A true dual-threat quarterback, Lance added 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.
Still, questions remain about the level of competition Lance faced in 2019, and those won’t be answered by Saturday’s one-game showcase against UCA. Even if he’s dominant yet again in this game, it won’t carry the same weight as if he’d done the same against a team like Oregon, a matchup that was supposed to kick off NDSU’s 2020 slate.
Lance isn’t the first Bison QB to get first-round consideration at the next level, but he won’t get the benefit of the Senior Bowl like Carson Wentz did in 2016, should he decide to leave school early and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Aside from next year’s NFL Scouting Combine and other potential predraft workouts, Saturday’s game is the only opportunity Lance will get to convince NFL teams he can be a franchise quarterback, and worthy of a premium pick next Spring.
Unless Lance struggles Saturday, this game won’t tell us much that we don’t already know about Lance (or even other top prospects like NDSU offensive tackle Dillon Radunz). Still, it’ll be fun to see him light it up one more time before making the jump to the next level.
