#Trey Lance suddenly has one more chance to prove NFL Draft worth

After a brilliant season in the shadows at North Dakota State, Trey Lance will get another chance to prove he’ll be an NFL franchise quarterback.

Though the Bison announced it would not play fall football less than two weeks ago, the three-time defending FCS champions have signed a contract to play a non-conference game in Fargo against Central Arkansas on Oct. 3, granting Lance — a redshirt sophomore and projected first-round pick who threw 28 touchdowns and no interceptions while going 16-0 in his first year as a starter — a showcase for NFL general managers and scouts that won’t be afforded to rival quarterbacks in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and elsewhere.

North Dakota State hopes to play a full schedule in the spring, but Lance likely wouldn’t participate in such a scenario, given conflicts with the NFL Draft schedule.

“I’d be shocked if he’s not a top-15 pick,” an NFL area scout told Yahoo Sports this summer. “I think he’s going to be right up in the top five with Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence.”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have Lance ranked as a top-15 prospect, with the former ranking Lance as the third-best quarterback prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft behind Lawrence and Fields, who is unlikely to play again before the draft.

Lance is expected to be the third Bison quarterback drafted in the past six years, joining second overall pick Carson Wentz (2016) and Chargers fifth-round pick Easton Stick (2019). As a redshirt freshman, he completed 66.9 percent of his passes, threw for 2,786 yards and ran for 1,100 yards with 14 touchdowns, earning the Walter Payton award as the best offensive player in the FCS.

“I think he’s a really good prospect, just watching his throwing motion, his accuracy and arm strength,” Illinois State coach Brock Spack told Yahoo Sports after facing Lance twice last season. “It’s rare to see a prospect like that from the FCS. Most of them are second-day guys that kind of blow up their senior year. This kid has been good right from the start.”