Ja’Kobi Lane Scouting Report

Ja’Kobi Lane is one of the best value selections in the draft. In the USC offense, he became a field anchor at X while they funneled the ball to Makai Lemon. But Lane has incredibly promising tape for an X-type WR. The tall WR has a well put together release series at the boundary, even if it might be a little finesse oriented for his size. But it’s nice to see split releases, swipes, and what points toward a solid plan of attack. Lane is also a solid coverage manipulator against zone defense, with head fakes out of reduced splits that gain scads of separation. He could work on his route pacing against man coverage, as he often relies on size and length to finish his plays. But he also does a good job feeling leverage in the process. Athletically he is the prototype. A real 6’4″ on tape, with deceptive quickness and a full stride speed that will be tough to match, even in the NFL. Lane has a massive catch radius and has made some especially stellar acrobatic receptions for the Trojans. When you consider his usage at USC you see a clear path forward for Lane as a George Picken’s style X WR in the NFL. Cutcall has a red chip grade on him, which relies heavily on how well he has defeated press coverage when called on to do it. His final selection place should land him in the second round.