Five 2021 NFL Draft QBs to consider if Cleveland Browns pull plug on Baker Mayfield

Trey Lance, North Dakota State

Another dual-threat QB, Trey Lance is hoping to follow in Carson Wentz’s footsteps and be the next Bisons passer to go in the first round. In 2019, Lance attempted 287 passes; 28 of them went for touchdowns, and he wasn’t intercepted a single time (some were dropped, but that’s still impressive). Even in a lesser conference and with a high volume of shorter throws, that is anything but typical. He is a well-built 6-3 225 pounds with good running ability; he totaled 1,100 yards and 14 scores on the ground in 2019.

Lance has all the tools you want in a QB from a physical standpoint, but he is far from a finished product, and he’ll have just one game of tape in 2020 to evaluate, which is less than ideal. His mechanics and accuracy are inconsistent, and North Dakota State ran a simplistic offense that didn’t ask Lance to think a whole lot. One year of tape plus poor level of competition plus raw equals risky.

Lance is a project, and one that the Browns will probably not be willing to invest in, unless for some reason Lance fell out of the first round, which seems highly unlikely. The fifth-year option will be too valuable for a team to pass up. The Baltimore Ravens stopped Lamar Jackson’s slide in 2018, and if Lance were to begin falling, someone else would stop him. Perhaps the Browns will be a team looking to trade down with another organization wanting Lance.