Marshall native Trey Lance selected No. 3 overall by 49ers in NFL Draft
Trey Lance, quarterback for North Dakota State University, discusses his hopes for the 2021 NFL Draft. (NDSU)
MINNEAPOLIS - The Marshall football community is smiling and celebrating Thursday night after one of their own became a first round pick in the NFL Draft.
Trey Lance, a former star quarterback at North Dakota State, was taken No. 3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers. He’s hoping to be one of the next franchise quarterbacks in the NFL, with Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson selected ahead of him.
As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Lance won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in FCS, the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the FCS and the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year award.
He led the Bison to 16 straight wins, culminating in an FCS title. He ranked second in the FCS in yards per pass attempt (2,786 total yards, 9.7 per attempt) and fifth in completion percentage (66.9 percent). He did not throw an interception the entire season while also ranking 10th in the FCS in rushing yards per carry (1,100 yards, 6.5 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns).
North Dakota State postponed its 2020 football season until the spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but played one fall contest against Central Arkansas on Oct. 3. Lance led the Bison to victory, going 15-of-30 passing for 149 yards, two touchdowns and had one interception. He also ran 15 times for 143 yards (9.5 per carry), and two touchdowns. Lance declared for the NFL Draft a few days later. He was all-state pick at Marshall High School in Minnesota.