Feb 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Naval Academy defensive back Rayuan Lane III (DB42) runs in the 40 yard dash during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How Navy's Rayuan Lane III Fits With the Jaguars

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 6:13 PM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars have looked for intangibly rich players all offseason, which makes it little surprise to see them land Navy's Rayuan Lane with the No. 200 overall pick.

One of the most experienced and reliable defenders in college football, Lane had found a role in Navy's defense early on in his career -- not just as a defender, but as a special teams ace.

The Jaguars have made it clear how critical a strong special teams unit is to their future, and Lane could be the next in a long line of success special teamers developed in Duval.

The Jaguars already have a trio of experienced veterans with special teams backgrounds in Andrew Wingard, Daniel Thomas and Antonio Johnson. The first two are in contract years, however, and it is clear the Jaguars will need to eventually find their succesors.

That could be Lane very early on in his career, especially with head coach Liam Coen noting the importance of special teams ahead of the draft.

“Yeah, I mean, special teams matter," Coen said at the start of the offseason program when asked about his adjustment to the draft process as a head coach.

"I mean, you have to look at the whole, right? It’s starting anew for me in a lot of ways, right, where you’ve been used to evaluating offensive players, and then naturally when you’re evaluating offensive players, defensive players shine, right? You start to see that, and then in recruiting, in college you’re recruiting defensive players as well. But the whole entirety, how they fit into the puzzle, the vision, what we’re trying to establish, and how those players end up fitting into those situations, it’s different. It’s just a different perspective. It’s great to listen to the collaboration between personnel and coaching when it comes to some of these meetings. So, it’s been great to listen. I’ve been doing a little bit more listening than talking right now.”

With his long record of durability and willingness to go the extra mile to ensure his team is prepared to go to battle in every facet, it makes sense why the Jaguars made Lane a critical Day 3 selection.