Overview

Position: WR

College: USC

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’4 1/8”

Weight: 200 lbs.

Arm length: 32 5/8”

Hand size: 10 1/2″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.47 sec.

10-yard split: 1.58 sec.

Vertical jump: 40.0”

Broad jump: 129.0”

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Tremendous overall frame. Natural athlete with great fluidity at his size. Size and skillset to be a mismatch weapon in scoring territory. Sensational ability to make one-handed grabs. Outstanding feel to box out opponents on fade routes and coming down with a one-handed catch while shielding. Big catch radius and hangs in the air on his jumps. Excellent hands going up to take a ball over a defender’s head. Will press cornerbacks inside on vertical stems and get outside to create separation on the go route. Tracks the deep ball very well over the shoulder. Able to adjust for throws down the field. Terrific feel for turning a route upfield and getting behind the defender on scrambles. Works back to the deep ball to draw a penalty if underthrown. Deceptive inside release on slants. Big target on slants. Quick throttling down on stop routes after a creative release. Strong hands to high point the ball on underneath passes. Shows courage reaching up for throws with defenders close and extending with safety bearing down. Tough hanging on after taking a big hit over the middle. Knows how to settle on stop routes and in-breaking routes at the intermediate level versus zone coverage. Works back to the ball at the intermediate level in contested coverage. Quick eyes and soft hands to locate and secure throws on his back hip. Comfortable toe tapping along the boundary. Great catch focus diving to the ground for a low pass working towards the sideline. Saw snaps in the slot. Used on perimeter and bubble screens. Impressive shake with the ball at his size. Elusive and instinctive at his size. Strong after the catch. Works to keep his feet and reach the line to gain with opponents trying to bring him down around the ankles. Patient with the ball and will follow blockers out in space. Very good build-up speed to get outside after the catch. Will try to hurdle opponents in the open field. Needs to improve but shows flashes and has the size/skillset to be a very good blocker.

 

Weaknesses

Game speed doesn’t appear to match his timed speed. Average acceleration to separate and run away from opponents. Movements often seem to sluggish and/or lazy. Seems to coast on a lot of routes even as the primary read. Can be sluggish getting into and moving early in the route. Didn’t run many complex routes. Lacks polish and crispness as a route runner. Would like to see more urgency on drag routes. Doesn’t get in front of opponents enough as a blocker. Could be more prepared to move his feet and stick with aggressive cornerbacks coming up in run support.

 

NFL comparison

George Pickens

 

Conclusion

Overall, Lane is a talented, big-bodied wideout with great natural athleticism and ball skills to make plays on the perimeter. However, definite development is needed as an NFL route runner for him to succeed at the next level based on more than just his ability.

 

Big Board ranking: #54 | Positional ranking: #11