The New Orleans Saints still have some questions to be answered at the wide receiver position.
If Bryce Lance reaches his potential quickly, though, that could solve a lot of potential issues.
And there appear to be at least some people around the league who are big believers in Lance.
The Saints took Lance in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State after having already taken Jordyn Tyson in the first round. But since Tyson is injured, it leaves more opportunity for players to step up on the depth chart behind star Chris Olave.
Lance may not be needed at full throttle in Week 1, but he might get a chance to shine.
Bryce Lance Gets High Praise
The Athletic put out a fun list ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season that it called its “Future Hits.”
The idea is that these are rookies who have already played themselves into bigger notoriety by having strong first summers in the league.
Lance, as you will have deduced, was a part of the list.
“Lance’s role will probably increase because of a hamstring injury to first-round pick Jordyn Tyson,” The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue wrote. “In a joint practice with the Rams, the fourth-round pick out of North Dakota State (and younger brother of Chargers quarterback Trey Lance) showed a real ability to get open for Tyler Shough, including in the tighter red zone area. Shough hit Lance for two touchdowns that day.”
What People Are Saying
In The Athletic’s article, they included two anonymous quotes about Lance.
One was this from an NFC executive:
“Extremely green but growth (so far) is staggering. Highly intelligent, highly coachable. (His college) tape was hard to judge how quickly he could acclimate (to NFL) because he dominated so easily. Bet on (his) traits and makeup to say he would hit whatever ceiling he had.”
The other was this from a different NFC executive:
“Size, speed and ball skills (especially tracking ability) are hard to bet against. Will be interesting to see if he can carve out a role before others return.”
Of course, the most interesting thing to some NFL fans will be that Lance’s older brother, Trey, was a first-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2021.
Trey is a quarterback, having gone to the Cowboys and now the Chargers, where he backs up Justin Herbert. But mostly, he’s known for being a draft bust.
Bryce’s draft stock obviously wasn’t as high, but he’ll be looking to make his own name for himself and prove he belongs. Based on all the buzz right now, it sure seems like Bryce Lance has a chance to do some very impressive things.
Saints’ Rookie Named ‘Future Hit’ Ahead of Week 1