Ryan Mink
The Ravens selected wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane out of USC with their third-round pick (No. 80) in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about Lane:
He's massive and fast.
Lane stands in at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds. He'll be the biggest wide receiver on the Ravens' roster by far, slotting alongside top three receivers Zay Flowers (5-foot-9), Rashod Bateman (6-foot-1), Devontez Walker (6-foot-1), and LaJohntay Wester (5-foot-9).
Those measurables give him a very large catch radius and the ability to make contested jump balls.
Lane pairs his great size with a 40-yard dash time of 4.47 seconds. That's a rare size-speed combination that gives him a chance to develop into a game-changing receiver.
Head Coach Jesse Minter said he wanted prospects with "traits" in the middle rounds. The Ravens got a wide receiver with plenty of them in the third round.
He doesn't need two hands.
Along with his big frame, Lane also has the biggest hands of any wide receiver in this year's wide receiver class at 10 inches.
That means he often needs just one hand to haul in passes. Lane has a highlight reel full of them.
He'll help in the red zone.
The Ravens struggled in the red zone last season, scoring touchdowns on just 47.5% of their trips despite a rushing pairing with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson.
Lane had 12 touchdowns in 2024. Only four wide receivers in the FBS scored more.
With his size and hands, Lane will give the Ravens a jump-ball threat that should help them in the red zone. He said his favorite route is a fade.
Todd Heap was one of his coaches and mentors.
Lane attended Red Mountain High School outside of Phoenix, just down the street from where former Ravens tight end Todd Heap played his prep ball.
Heap was an assistant coach at Red Mountain and mentored Lane. He also helped the wide receiver through the recruiting process.
Lane has another advocate in the building in Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Prentice Gill, who Lane said recruited him. Gill was a former wide receivers coach as a graduate assistant at USC.
He was a monster at the Las Vegas Bowl.
Lane's best game may have been in the Las Vegas Bowl to cap his big 2024 season.
He caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns from 30, 17, and 15 yards out, earning MVP honors.
Lane played alongside Makai Lemon, who the Philadelphia Eagles selected in the first round. While Lemon took many of the Trojans' targets, Lane was the clear No. 2 with 745 receiving yards in 2025 and 525 yards in 2024.
