Fourth-round draft pick and rookie receiver Jaylin Lane is ready to breathe fire into the Washington Commanders playmaking room.
Too much of a stretch? Consider this: Of the team’s 25 receiving touchdowns, 13 (52 percent) went to Terry McLaurin, and excluding Brian Robinson Jr.’s career-long 40-yard touchdown run against the Tennessee Titans, the remaining nine of his trips across the pylons were from an average of 3.4 yards.
Clearly, Washington’s “brotherhood” did not include an array of weapons.
The Commanders beefed up their offensive line with first-round selection Josh Conerly Jr. and by trading for Laremy Tunsil… but while their bottom-dwelling defense needed a reboot, so too did the guys with the ball in their hands.
Will Jaylin Lane become the breakout rookie to take the Commanders’ offense to new heights, or will he be lost in the logjam of backups? Let’s dissect his outlook entering the 2025 campaign.
Did the Commanders draft a STAR in Jaylin Lane?
Jayden Daniels’ tantalizing rookie season and excellent coaching masked many of the deficiencies that plagued Washington’s roster.
Close your eyes and think about the Commanders’ offense of a year ago. What do you see?
Daniels escaping the pocket and making big plays? The Hail Mary? McLaurin burning his matchup to haul in a 50-yard bomb?
Don’t fall victim to the Mandela Effect, Washington was just 20th in explosive play rate and 24th in explosive pass rate. The non-McLaurin receiving combination of Noah Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, Dyami Brown, and Luke McCaffrey was, despite Daniels’ best effort, comfortably among the worst in the league.
The trade acquisition of Deebo Samuel papered over a portion of the limitations that existed, and Lane now has the chance to make them nothing more than a distant memory.
An impressive resume
The Commanders could still really do with a physical receiver to complement McLaurin, Samuel, and the rest of the wideouts… but that’s an issue for general manager Adam Peters to deal with in the future.
Lane is far from the prototypical jump-ball pass-catcher outlined above. However, he comes with immense speed and playmaking ability primarily from the slot position.
At 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, Lane ran a 4.34 40-yard dash, posted a 40-inch vertical leap and 11-foot broad jump, and performed well in the shuttle and three-cone drill. His measurables nearly mirrored those of Desean Jackson, one of the best deep-ball receivers in the history of the league.
Lane struggled to consistently produce in a Virginia Tech offense mired by poor pass-blocking and inaccurate quarterbacking, but he ranked 16th in the country in yards after catch per reception (8.3; 91st percentile) and forced 13 missed tackles in only 38 receptions.
He also returned 24 punts for 245 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, and was described by Peters as the best punt returner in his class.
Lane’s skills in the open field, whether that be in the return game or as a screen outlet, should help him get on the field early in his career, even if that’s only as a “specialist” instead of a regular receiver.
However, let’s not discount the possibility that he carves out a role for himself early in his career.
Jaylin Lane in the Commanders offense
McLaurin and Samuel will line up outside the numbers on most offensive snaps, with Samuel coming into the slot or the backfield from time to time. Lane, who took 82.5 percent of his offensive snaps from the slot last year, could fill the vacancy if he can outwork Brown, McCaffrey, and Michael Gallup.
Despite only catching 38 balls for 466 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth and final collegiate season, Lane showed solid instincts over the middle of the field and reliable hands, only dropping three balls. He also used his burst to stop-and-start in a hurry once he had the ball in his hands and fought for every yard, which explains why he was so productive after the catch.
The Commanders utilized lots of screens, rollouts, moving pockets, and quarterback runs in a no-huddle offense to hide their limited playmakers. Lane’s speed off the line and maneuverability in tight spaces could help Washington run more traditional passing concepts since he’ll be able to get open quicker, giving Daniels a window to meet before the pressure arrives at his feet.
Do I expect Lane to compete for Offensive Rookie of the Year? No, I do not. The team is still invested in McCaffrey, a third-round pick of a year ago, and sophomore second-round tight end Ben Sinnott, among others.
Still, Lane’s intangibles and craftiness could help him become a regular contributor on first down. The best-case scenario is he develops into someone who stretches the middle of the field vertically, leaving McLaurin to work one-on-one and Samuel to control the underneath game with a clean pocket for Daniels, who is fifth in MVP odds at FanDuel.
