Getty Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons are set to pick at No. 4 overall in this year’s upcoming draft and almost every NFL mock draft has the Falcons selecting a future franchise quarterback, including Pro Football Focus.
In their latest one, the Falcons pick North Dakota State’s signal-caller, Trey Lance.
🚨 UPDATED MOCK DRAFT 🚨
3. Eagles (via MIA): QB Justin Fields
4. Falcons: QB Trey Lance
6. Dolphins (via PHI): WR Ja’Marr Chase
@PFF_AustinGayle‘s Mock Draft ⬇️
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Trey Lance’s Short Success At NDSU
ND State has been a dominant force over the past few years, but this year was a bit different with COVID-19 canceling the 2020 season after just one game.
In the one game, the Bisons played against Central Arkansas and Lance looked a bit rusty, completing 15-of-30 passes for 149 yards and an interception. He also helped on the ground, turning 15 carries into 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Before COVID-19 plagued the sports world, Lance had shined during the season in 2019 as a redshirt freshman. He led ND State to an undefeated season and another National Championship, completing 67 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also flashed some versatility, running for 1,100 yards, and picked up 14 rushing touchdowns.
Lance has also been linked to the Panthers and 49ers in the 2021 draft.
Bison Head Coach Matt Entz Impressed By Lances’ Maturity
Undefeated NDSU head coach Matt Entz joined NFL Network’s “NFL Now“ to talk about his former signal-caller.
Lance is from Marshall, Minnesota––a place where not many NFL-bound quarterbacks are found. But, North Dakota State search high and dry and came across him during his junior year of high school.
Entz said he gave him the “full-court press to become a Bison.” Like Eagles QB Carson Wentz, Lance was able to find success at NDSU because of the way the Bisons run their program.
“Here at NDSU we think of ourselves as a team that plays like an NFL team”, Entz explained. Not necessarily the caliber of athletes that we have, but how we go about our business. The amount of information that we put on our quarterbacks”
Entz went onto tell how he and his staff were able to turn Lance from a small-town guy to an NFL caliber.
“The first thing I would comment about is his level of learning, his ability to grasp what we’re doing offensively. You saw in 2019––early in the season, we didn’t a whole lot of motion. We tried to simplify the game for him so could get up to the line of scrimmage to do what was told. As the season progressed, we gave him more and more.”
While his talents on the field are important for any team, his attitude off the feel can say a lot too and according to Entz, Lance brings good energy.
“Very mature. He’s a young man, especially for only being 19-20 years old, heavily involved in his religion. That’s the backbone of who he is. He has tremendous friends, a close circle, not a huge circle. You have to be of high character and a great person to be able to hang out with Trey Lance. He’s going to be a man of character.”
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Falcons Select ‘Man of Character’ Signal-Caller in Updated Mock Draft