With the 2025 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to reflect on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared. Did rookie GM James Gladstone deliver a masterclass, or has he just set the Jags back five years? Truth is, we probably won’t know that for some time. But we can get to know the newest members of the team a little bit better. In the latest of our mini-series of deep dives, here are three things to know about Rayuan Lane III, S, Navy:
Military commitment
No big deal — just an NFL Jaguars draftee and now Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Rayuan Lane III playing catch with the SecDef.
The SecDef’s got hands!
pic.twitter.com/mQTiI4V0Qb
— ℂ ℙ (@TheLtColUSMC) July 4, 2025
Most people familiar with the NFL Draft will be aware that college athletes from military academies are required to complete five years of active duty, as well as three years in the reserves, upon graduation. Typically this commitment is honored immediately, and as such was problematic for NFL teams wishing to select any football players from Army, Navy or Air Force. Their active duty essentially tied them up until roughly around the age of 26, robbing them of peak years of professional employment. The most famous example of this is of course Roger Staubach, the Navy quarterback who was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in 1964, but only able to begin his NFL career in 1969.
In 2019, President Donald Trump amended this policy via executive order, allowing service academy athletes the option to delay their active-duty service to pursue a career in professional sports. This change has meant that NFL teams are less reluctant to use draft capital on players from such programs, and give prospects such as Rayuan Lane the opportunity to maximize their opportunity both financially and professionally. The Jaguars were able to commit to a prospect who could potentially contribute on special teams immediately without fear of wasting a draft selection.
Lane’s commitment to his active duty may be paused, but it is permanent. Upon graduating, he selected an assignment with the Marine Corps, alluding to his dedication to his service. His NFL Draft preparation was balanced against his Naval Academy duties, meaning that he was even wearing his uniform on draft day. Straight after he received the phone call from James Gladstone, Lane is quoted as saying “I’m excited for the opportunity to be both a Jacksonville Jaguar and a Marine Corps officer”. And in recent days, he’s taken a trip to the Pentagon with his family where he met the secretary of defense, toured the facility - and of course, thrown a football on the parade field.
Football doesn’t last forever. Rayuan Lane knows exactly what he’ll be doing once it ends.
Turnover machine
It’s often easy to think that football players who hail from the service academies are somehow inferior to those from other programs. Who would enlist in the Army or Navy unless it was their only choice to continue playing football? Well, in Lane’s case, it actually was his only choice; a zero-star prospect coming out of Gilman High School in Baltimore, MD, the Midshipmen were the only ones to offer him a scholarship to play college football…
Regardless, Lane wasn’t just there to make up the numbers, and through four years in Annapolis became one of the most productive safeties in all of college football. The Jags’ rookie has shown an incredible ability to create turnovers in his career to date, with seven interceptions on his resume - two of them returned for touchdowns. At 5’11” and 200lbs, Lane has a lot of power in his frame and is well known for his hard-hitting tackling; 244 tackles in his college career tells you his commitment to physical football, and his eight forced fumbles are the most by any defensive back in the country in the past four seasons. Forget which school you play for: Rayuan Lane can flat out play football.
The hard-nosed edge to his game had draft scouts opining about Lane’s special teams value at the next level. Should he stick on the roster, then a role as a gunner on kickoff and punt units would likely be in his future early in his career. From there, he should be given enough rope to work himself into the rotation in the secondary, and showcase his playmaking abilities in the black and teal.
Loyalty
Considering the easier pathway to the NFL nowadays, and how Navy took a chance on him when nobody else would, it’s clear to see why Rayuan Lane would have a fierce loyalty to the Midshipmen. But he’s also a competitor, no doubt a man who wants to become the best he can be both on and off the football field. It’s only natural that, in this era of NIL and the transfer portal, he would have the opportunity to ‘test the market’ to some degree.
During his junior year Lane did just that, entering the transfer portal to explore interest. Unsurprisingly, there was strong demand for his services, including from programs as esteemed as Notre Dame and UCLA who both extended scholarship offers to the safety. That wasn’t all they offered either, with Navy defensive coordinator PJ Volker claiming there was “substantial amounts of money on the table” from schools with spending power. If Lane wanted to go to a Power 4 program, enhance his reputation with one eye on the next level whilst also competing for a National Championship, the pathway was there.
Instead, Lane decided to stay at Navy, a remarkable demonstration of devotion considering what he was foregoing. A decision that might seem baffling to you and I, Lane was able to put it into a simpler context:
“If they’re asking me to leave a great place to go to another great place, what am I gaining? Ultimately, I’ve got a lot of love for the academy and for my teammates. When I put everything together, it did not make sense for me to get away from this place.”
Not much is generally expected of a sixth round draft pick who was selected #200 overall. But at the very least the Jags are adding a fierce competitor and a high-character guy to their locker room.