Rayuan Lane III S Navy | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Rayuan Lane III S Navy
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/20/2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.57 seconds (48%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Zone Slot/Nickel Safety | |
| Last Updated: 03/20/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.57 seconds (48%*) | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 76.0 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Offense player has faced | ||
| Offense Rating: |
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76% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 65.6 | |
| Tackling: |
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61% |
| Run Defense: |
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73% |
| Coverage: |
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85% |
| Zone: |
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81% |
| Man/Press: |
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81% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#274
Position rank:
#51
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| College Games: 44 College Snaps: 2587 | ||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tykee Smith - Georgia |
|
87% |
| Elijah Molden - Washington |
|
85% |
| Tre Sterling - Oklahoma State |
|
81% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Rayuan Lane III established himself as a cornerstone of Navy's defense during an impressive four-year career. A three-sport athlete at Gilman School, Lane stepped onto the Naval Academy campus and immediately made his presence felt, appearing in all 12 games as a freshman before securing the starting safety position for 43 consecutive contests – the longest active streak for any safety in the country entering 2024. The 5'10", 198-pound defender steadily improved each season, culminating in First-Team All-AAC honors and national recognition as Special Teams Player of the Year by College Football Network during his senior campaign.Lane's production jumped significantly during his junior season when he recorded 66 tackles, 4 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles. His nose for the football was evident when he returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown against UAB – the second-longest pick-six in Navy history. During his standout senior campaign in 2024, Lane continued his disruptive play with 61 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and multiple interceptions, helping the Midshipmen secure 10 wins and the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fifth-best safety in the country (among those with minimum 675 snaps), and he took over punt return duties while maintaining his reputation as one of the nation's premier gunners. His dual impact as both a defensive stalwart and special teams ace earned him First-Team All-AAC honors, First-Team All-American recognition on special teams, and invitations to both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine – rare distinctions for service academy players.
Throughout his collegiate career, Lane accumulated 244 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 7 interceptions, 21 pass breakups, 8 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. Beyond the statistics, his leadership helped Navy's defense record multiple shutouts in 2023 and contributed to just the sixth 10-win season in program history in 2024. Lane capped his collegiate career by helping Navy secure the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in his final season.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Excellent speed – that consistently shows up on tape in coverage and pursuit angles.
- Gifted instincts in coverage – reads route combinations efficiently and jumps passing lanes with precise timing and anticipation.
- Special teams maven with exceptional gunner traits – combines downfield burst with intelligent angles on coverage units.
- Zone coverage technique shines on tape – maintains disciplined landmarks while keeping eyes on quarterback through route development.
- Quick mental processor who transitions from read to react with minimal wasted movement or hesitation.
- Thrives when playing forward – attacks passing windows with conviction in underneath zones, creating tight-window throws.
- Shows natural feel for quarterback manipulation – baits QBs into throws he can disrupt with late breaks.
- Demonstrates above-average ball production – generated seven interceptions and 21 PBUs across his career at Navy.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Struggles with consistent tackle finishing – comes in too hot and fails to wrap properly in open field situations.
- Run defense shows effort but lacks ideal technique – takes questionable angles and gets swallowed up by blockers.
- Transitional footwork sometimes breaks down against rapid direction changes, creating recovery challenges.
- Tendency to overcommit against play-action leads to occasional big plays surrendered behind the defense.
- Contact balance needs improvement – gets knocked off balance when taking on lead blockers in the run game.
Scouting Report: Summary
Lane projects as a developmental safety prospect with immediate special teams value at the next level. His impressive 4.43 speed and coverage instincts will translate well in sub-packages and zone-heavy schemes where he can keep plays in front of him. Lane's true calling card is his elite special teams prowess – he'll instantly compete for gunner duties and core special teams roles as a rookie while developing his defensive skill set. Despite his standout ball production at Navy, his mid-to-late Day 3 projection (overall rank: 258) accurately reflects his physical limitations and tackling inconsistencies that will require technical refinement.Teams would be wise to deploy Lane initially as a situational defender in packages that leverage his zone coverage ability and speed while minimizing his exposure against the run. His football intelligence and processing speed suggest he could develop into a reliable third safety by year two, but his ceiling is likely capped as a spot starter rather than an every-down player. The team that drafts Lane should have a clear development plan that builds on his impressive coverage skills while addressing his tackling technique and run defense limitations.
Lane would fit well with teams employing split-safety looks and extensive special teams emphasis. These organizations could maximize his coverage instincts in sub-packages while immediately plugging him into key special teams roles. His Naval Academy background ensures he'll bring the right approach to film study and preparation, but his long-term defensive role will depend on his ability to improve his tackling consistency and run support angles at the next level.
Rayuan Lane III percentiles vs other Safetys (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Rayuan Lane III (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
289.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
70.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.