NFL Draft Profile: S Rayuan Lane III, Navy

Teams looking for a safety may get a steal on Day 3 of the draft in the Midshipmen’s Rayuan Lane III.

The Cleveland Browns have 10 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is quite a large number even for a team with several roster holes.

Related: Browns land their QB in Dane Brugler’s 7-round mock draft

One of the areas that general manager Andrew Berry will be looking to address during the draft is the safety position, where incumbent starter Grant Delpit and occasional starter Ronnie Hickman are the only viable players currently on the roster.

Fortunately, the safety class is considered a deep one, and with six selections at his disposal on Day 3 of the draft, Berry may be willing to take a gamble on Rayuan Lane III from Navy.

Name: Rayuan Lane III

Position: Safety

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 200 pounds

College: Navy

2024 stats: 13 games, 47 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles

Career stats: 49 games, 154 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7 interceptions, 21 passes defensed, 8 forced fumbles,

Relative Athletic Score: Scored an unofficial 6.72 out of 10. Ranks No. 363 out of 1,105 free safeties from 1987 to 2025.

Average “Big Board” Position as of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database: 178th overall/Undrafted free agent

The Draft Network’s Grade/Round Value: Day 3 - Role-specific contributor

What an Expert is Saying

Lance Zierlein at NFL.com:

A mainstay of the Navy defense, Lane roams the field with ball-hawking instincts and an impressive special teams résumé. Lane lacks length but is well-built and moves fluidly in space. He does a nice job of reading quarterbacks and getting early jumps on the throw from his zone perch but will occasionally allow the action to get behind him when he lingers with his eyes. He plays ready football in run support but needs to improve his pacing and technique as an open-field tackler. Lane has enough talent to land as a backup safety and will likely stand out as a gunner on special teams.

What an Expert is Saying (Bonus Round):

Ryan Fowler at The Draft Network:

In coverage, Lane can play high and low with good instincts and footwork to redirect and make plays on the football. He will have issues against larger opponents due to his lack of mass and length, but he’s a highly competitive athlete with a knack for finding the football—traits that allow undersized players to consistently get into throwing lanes. He’s best in zone working from depth where he can trigger downhill and through the catch point. Good discipline and eyes over the middle of the field against sit routes, but has been caught on a double move a time or two due to his aggressiveness (Oklahoma). Has reps in man both at safety and at nickel.

Lane is competitive as a run defender but must work on open-field tackling. Can approach contact with a high pad level and below-average technique,...