Big Cat Country
Get to know the Jaguars’ new additions from draft weekend with our ‘3 things to know’ series
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:
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.
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...
