Who is the closest NFL player comparison for NDSU QB Trey Lance?

I love quarterback comparisons, and to be honest I am struggling to find a quarterback that North Dakota State University quarterback Trey Lance compares too, but I think I have narrowed it down.

Many draft experts have been trying to do the same thing, by comparing Trey to NFL players but I think some of the comparisons are a bit off. Let’s look at the other experts and then give you our personal thoughts on Lance.

Daniel Jeremiah recently posted an article on Trey Lance and said this about the NDSU QB.

He reminds me of: Andrew Luck. I know Luck is a little bit bigger, but they are similar athletes and they both played with a maturity beyond their age at the collegiate level. I remember watching Luck run over defenders. I also remember being so impressed with his ability to execute on key plays in every game. I see the same things when I study Lance. More than anything else, these are two guys who exude confidence on the field. They are fearless, but they avoid being reckless. That’s a very delicate balance. Luck was on his way to a Hall of Fame career before shocking the football world and retiring a year ago. I don’t have quite the same grade on Lance, but he could get there with continued growth and development.

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks said Deshaun Watson comes to mind.

“Trey Lance could emerge as a contender for the No. 1 spot due to his combination of athleticism, poise and playmaking ability. He reminds me a lot of Deshaun Watson with his style of play. He can carve you up from the pocket or use his legs to create plays on the perimeter. He takes good care of the ball. Most important, he wins. With NDSU producing pros at the position, scouts are going to take him seriously as a prospect, and the NFL’s shift towards more athletic playmakers at the position could help him climb the charts.”

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report said Mike Vick

“He’s good—like, Michael Vick in Madden good.

I mean Lance has even been compared to John Elway by a draftnik, I am not going to lie, I think those are some pretty good comparisions, but I have been breaking down his film for weeks and I think I have come to my answer.

I was going to say Colin Kaepernick. I think they are very similar, Kaepernick had a great arm, could make every NFL throw, and has the wheels to burn you running the ball. I thought about his mechanics and realized that Trey Lance is further ahead of Kaepernick, so I had to go back to the drawing board.

Next up, I thought of Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans. I think this is the closest comparison to Trey Lance at this point. I feel Trey Lance is on Ryan Tannehill’s level right now. I think they are about the same type of player. Lance would much rather kill you with his arm, but he is super athletic and can turn up field quickly. I think when you look at Lance and Tannehill you will see many similarities.

Trey Lance is listed at 6037, and he weighs 224 pounds. He has only really one year of college film at this point, but was super impressive in his first year. Lance will play in less games but has 193 completions for 2,798 yards and 28 touchdowns to zero interceptions. He also has 1,182 yards rushing and 16 rushing touchdowns.

I think Lance is going to run in the 4.5’s as well, and right now he is considered the 3rd quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

Ryan Tannehill is 6037, and weights 221 pounds. He was a wide receiver at Texas A&M and in his junior year, he transitioned to quarterback. He finished his college career with 327 completions for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns, but also added 369 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. So both players only had 1 year and some change at the QB position.

Tannehill ran a 4.58 fory yards dash and had 9 inch hands. He was considered the number 3 quarterback behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.

I think Trey Lance is a better runner and is more polished at this point, but still this is the closest comparison I could come up with after breaking down film. What do you think?