Bryce Lance: North Dakota State Wide Receiver Selected 136th by New Orleans Saints in 2026 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints selected North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance with the 136th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

Lance, a 6-foot-3 senior from Marshall, Minnesota, was one of the most explosive playmakers in the FCS during his college career. He earned first-team AP All-American honors in 2025 after averaging 21.2 yards per reception, which ranked sixth nationally among all receivers that season.

A two-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, Lance posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Bison. He set a North Dakota State school record with 17 receiving touchdowns in 2024 while helping lead the team to a national championship that year.

Lance drew significant attention during the pre-draft process with elite testing numbers, including a 4.34-second 40-yard dash and a 41.5-inch vertical jump. These athletic measurements showcased his rare big-play ability and explosiveness as a boundary target.

According to his NFL.com draft profile, Lance possesses outstanding ball skills and positional instincts that allow him to create catch space. However, the profile notes he lacks release quickness and short-area agility as a route-runner and will not be able to rely solely on pure speed to beat NFL coverage at the professional level.

Lance redshirted his true freshman season at North Dakota State in 2021. He played primarily on special teams as a redshirt freshman and sophomore before becoming a starting receiver for the Bison entering his redshirt junior year in 2023.

Over his college career, Lance accumulated 127 receptions for 2,139 yards and 25 touchdowns. His most productive seasons came in 2024 and 2025, where he recorded 75 receptions for 1,053 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024, followed by 51 receptions for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025.

Born on August 20, 2002, Lance is 23 years old and joins the Saints as an unsigned draft pick. He will look to contribute to New Orleans’ offense as the team continues to build its receiving corps following the 2026 NFL Draft.