What Makes Wide Receiver Ja’Kobi Lane’s an Intriguing NFL Draft Prospect

He’s a quarterback-friendly target because of his tremendous hands, wide catch radius and ability to attack the football, whether it’s in jump ball situations and coming back to the ball to make a play. Lane shines in red zone and developed a knack for making SportsCenter worthy one-handed catches. 

There have been numerous times USC quarterback Jayden Maiava trusted his star receiver and simply gave him a chance to do something spectacular on the field. 

In addition to taking part in the Senior Bowl, Lane has been staying in Southern California to train with former 11-year NFL veteran receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh.

Important Steps in Draft Process

Lane has an infectious personality, teammates naturally gravitate towards him because of it and he grew more into a leadership role this past season. The talent is undeniable but three things will be important for Lane during the draft process. 

Meetings with teams over the next several months will be vital. Maturity was a question for Lane throughout his time at USC, and sometimes his emotions can get the best of him. Against Oregon late last season, Maiava was picked off in the first half and Lane tried to get the ball back from the Oregon sideline and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. 

He had done the same thing the year prior against Minnesota. Lane was benched in the first quarter in USC’s win over UCLA in the regular season finale for a “violation of team rules.” One thing you can't question though is his passion for the game. He pushes his teammates to be the best and holds them accountable. Lane celebrates with them as if he were the one that just made a big play and never complains if the targets aren't coming his way. Instead, he stays ready when the opportunities do come.

The medicals need to checkout because he battled a pair of injuries during his final year at Southern Cal. A broken foot he suffered in the summer kept him out for the first couple weeks of fall camp. Another injury early in the year kept him out of the lineup against Michigan State in week 4, and then he played on a snap count the following week against Illinois. 

All eyes will be on his 40-time, whether he decides to run at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis or USC’s Pro Day. He has great game speed, and his long strides can get behind a defense in a hurry, but just how fast is his straight-line speed is something scouts will be looking out for. 

There is an over emphasis on the biggest on-field spectacle in Indianapolis. There’s plenty of guys that run blazing times, but it doesn’t translate into any success at the next level. Lane doesn’t necessarily need to run a 4.3 or even a low 4.4. A high 4.4 to a very low 4.5 would be great times for a 6-foot-4 receiver. Lane separates very well vertically on tape and a solid validation in shorts would bode well. 

Lane projects as a day two pick in April’s NFL Draft, ranging from the late second round to the third round. He’s off to a great start with a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, but each step over the next couple of months is critical.