Headed to New Orleans

The Saints selected Lance in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 136th overall.

Lance (6-foot-3, 204 pounds) boasts adequate size to complement his explosive athletic trades (4.34 40-yard dash), and he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his two seasons as a starter at North Dakota State (five years total). He showed especially well on deep routes in 2025, when he logged a career-best 21.5 yards per catch across 13 games as a fifth-year senior. To compete for more than a rotational role at the NFL level, Lance will need to significantly expand his route tree, but in New Orleans' crowded wide receiver room there may not be much pressure to develop into more than a situational playmaker. All of Devaughn Vele (shoulder), Mason Tipton (groin), Bub Means (lower leg), Kevin Austin, Trey Palmer (ankle), Ja'Lynn Polk (shoulder), Ronnie Bell and Samori Toure represent competition for Lance to earn wide receiver reps behind Chris Olave (illness) and No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson.