The Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Atlanta Falcons.
All of these teams had extended interview invitations to Lance, covering a full range of draft positions, from the very top to the later rounds.
Lance was easily the busiest figure at camp, moving nonstop with hardly a break to catch his breath or even a sip of water.
This came as a bit of a surprise. Everyone expected Lance to draw league-wide interest, but to this extent?
Leading up to rookie camp, discussions about Lance had been abundant in the NFL, with one prominent viewpoint gaining traction:
It wasn't that Lance lacked talent—rather, it was that Saban's system had maximized Lance's strengths.
Running backs' declining value in the NFL is attributed to many factors, from injury risks and the rise of passing to the structure of offensive schemes.
The running back position relies heavily on coordinated blocking. A strong offensive line opens lanes, while wide receivers and tight ends set up blocks. Without this support, even powerful backs like Derrick Henry can be easily contained and overworked.
Because of this, successful ground-based offenses are often paired with top-tier offensive lines and coordinated blocking schemes by their coaches.
The Alabama Crimson Tide exemplified this kind of team.
Lance's talent was undeniable, but how much of his success was dependent on Alabama's offensive scheme? If he joined a different team with a different system, would he struggle and reveal weaknesses? Would any decent running back perform at an elite level in Alabama's system?
After all, Lance had only been in football for a single season, providing limited data. These concerns were understandable.
Kamara's taunts also stemmed from support for this viewpoint.
Lance's refusal to participate in other camps, maintaining an air of mystery, only fueled this narrative. Many believed Lance was avoiding other camps to hide potential weaknesses that could impact his draft position.
At the rookie camp, Lance displayed a complete skill set, from injury assessments and the Wonderlic test to physical metrics and catching drills, giving everyone a glimpse of the talent Burns had seen in him. Lance had clearly re-established himself as the camp's undisputed star.
Just when Lance thought he'd finally have a moment to breathe after completing his interviews, the Green Bay Packers sent a last-minute invitation.
Occasionally, these last-minute invitations happen. After conducting interviews, a team's management may decide they want to explore more options.
The Packers had already interviewed several other running backs but skipped the top three backs since their pick was only 29th overall. They weren't keen on joining the hype storm. However, they desperately needed a running back.
During the 2016 season, the Packers reached the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons. Entering as favorites, they quickly fell behind, relying solely on Rodgers as the ground game faltered.
The Packers' entire rushing offense failed to reach 100 yards, and no single back gained over 30 yards.
The Falcons won 44-21, claiming the NFC Championship and advancing to the Super Bowl.
Despite having one of the league's best quarterbacks, the Packers knew they needed a stronger ground game, even in an era dominated by passing offenses.
And so, the Packers entered the fray, inviting Lance to interview. Suddenly, things got very interesting—
Of the 32 NFL teams, more than a third had now interviewed Lance.
On one hand, people criticized the high-risk, low-return nature of selecting a running back in the first round, while on the other, they couldn't ignore the undeniable market appeal of a Chinese-American player like Lance. Only Caldwell of the Jaguars was left smugly patting himself on the back, convinced he held the winning hand—though everyone else had already read his play.
No one could deny the tactical impact an elite running back could have on an offense.
And so, the chaos began.
In fact, it wasn't just the teams—NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was also getting involved.
Since taking office in 2006, Goodell had doubled the NFL's market value in just a decade, raising the value of all 32 teams in the process. With a keen eye on global expansion, he was ambitiously working to build the NFL's brand worldwide.
In 2016, 26 NFL teams ranked in the top 50 wealthiest sports clubs globally, with the Dallas Cowboys holding the top spot for the third consecutive year.
No wonder Goodell enjoyed unprecedented support from team owners.
Goodell could see what was obvious to team managers, and he was helping drive the Lance buzz. Media coverage exploded, propelling Lance into an unimaginable level of visibility, though Goodell's real brilliance lay elsewhere.
—The running back position.
Goodell strategically marketed the competition among Fournette, Lance, and McCaffrey as the top backs in the draft class.
Goodell understood that the league's shift toward a pass-heavy offense had diminished running backs' value, with teams reluctant to use high draft picks on them. But he needed them to be bold enough to pick Lance—it would take more than just Lance alone to change things.
Rebuilding the running back's value would encourage fans to see them as essential Super Bowl pieces, creating fan pressure for teams to take a running back in the top draft rounds.
With this, discussions surrounding the top three running backs surged, drawing increased attention to other backs as well.
Simultaneously, Goodell personally extended an invitation to Chinese media outlets to attend the draft in Philadelphia for live, close-up coverage of the event and a front-row seat to history.
Everything was coming together to promote this year's draft.
Without a doubt, Lance would be drafted—if he were selected, it would be a historic moment.
Now the only question was: would he be picked in the first round? And perhaps more precisely, at what position and by which team?
The hype was heating up, fueling anticipation. With all this momentum, surely… he wouldn't go undrafted, right?
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