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Like every NFL team, the Washington Commanders have their contract woes. And they also had to take chances in the offseason. But the future looks bright, and here is one rookie who stood out the most in the 2025 minicamp.
Commanders receiver Jaylin Lane is off to an impressive start. The Commanders grabbed him with the No. 128 overall pick, coming in the fourth round. He turned in a great performance at the combine, showing off terrific athletic skills.
And he made it work so far, showing up brightly in the Commanders’ rookie minicamp. He wants to make a splash in the NFL, according to commanders.com.
“You always aim for the highest,” Lane said. “Being an NFL player has been a dream since I was a kid.”
Commanders WR Jaylin Lane looking good
Assistant general manager Lance Newmark said Lane has a high ceiling.
“He is a guy that we were really excited about, organizationally, across the board,” Newmark said. “We had a vision for him, and he was the highest player on our board when we got to that point. It really was kind of a stressful wait from noon until whenever we finally picked because just a lot of stress and … hope that he was going to be there for us.”
General manager Adam Peters said getting Lane made sense throughout the organization, according to comments on the Pat McAfee Show via Sports Illustrated.
“We went around the room, and he had by far the most votes of anybody,” Peters said of the team’s internal draft process. “You had buy-in from R&D, buy-in from the coaches, from the coordinators, from all our scouts. At that point, it was just a matter of, ‘Hopefully he falls to us.’ ”
There’s a growing sense that the Commanders may have gotten one of the draft’s steals. Lane turned in quite a performance at the minicamp. He reportedly has strong route-running ability and stood out as a player who belonged in the minicamp.
The Commanders’ wide receiver room is better than in 2024. But there’s still an opening in the door where Lane could become a key contributor. Noah Brown is WR3 on the depth chart, with Luke McCaffrey, Michael Gallup, and Lane listed as second string. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Lane force his way into three wide-receiver sets at some point this season.
WR Jaylin Lane opening eyes among NFL observers
Lane already has some backers, including ESPN’s Field Yates.
“While Lane will have a chance to earn receiver snaps for Washington, what most excites me about his early impact is in the kicking game,” Yates wrote. “Lane is arguably the best punt returner in the draft class. Back in 2021, he averaged 15.5 yards per return, second best in FBS. He's shifty and instinctive, and he can flat-out fly. Olamide Zaccheaus handled the highest number of punt returns for the Commanders in 2024 but signed with the Bears this offseason. Lane should help pile up hidden yards.”
That’s why Lane turned out to be such a promising draft pick. He doesn’t have to stand out as a receiver in 2025 to make an impact. His ability to return kicks could give the Commanders a big special-teams boost. And if the Commanders are as good on special teams as they expect to be on offense, they might be able to overcome some anticipated defensive deficiencies.
As for Lane, he said he likes what he has seen from the Commanders’ organization thus far, according to Bowie TV Sports via yahoo.com.
“We’ve got a lot of elite receivers who have played ball at high level,” Lane said. “I’m just blessed to be here. It has been a real fun process. They’ve done a great job welcoming me and the other rookies coming in. (I’m) just ready to continue to work and get better each and every day.”
How will Lane mix with Jayden Daniels?
Lane said getting picked by the Commanders was awesome for him, according to commanderswire.com.
“When they called, I was ecstatic, you know, extremely happy,” Lane said. “I am ready to get to work.”
Todd McShay likes the Lane-Daniels pairing, according to a post on X by SJM.
Todd McShay GUSHING over the #Commanders draft!
Peters knocked it out of the park with only 5 picks! #RaiseHail
“Jaylin Lane at 128,” McShay said. “I had him in my top 100, and I don't apologize for it. You guys watch. You watch with that quarterback and that play-caller. (And) you watch Jaylin Lane and his 4.3-something speed. Jaylin Lane has never had a quarterback who could accurately get him the football, so everything was a reverse, a bubble screen, like all sorts of gimmicky stuff. He can return. He's an A++++ character. Just loves the game. I think Jaylin Lane's going to be the big surprise from this class as a fourth-round pick.”
Daniels already has Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel to terrorize defenses. If Lane develops into at least a guy who has big games here and there, defenses are going to have big problems picking their poison.
Lane’s versatility also fits well with Daniels because of Daniels’ varied abilities. Think about what Commanders' offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could design with Samuel’s running ability, Daniels’ running prowess, and Lane’s ground-game chops. Think about a run-pass option with a reverse, or fake reverse, or double reverse with these three players. The Commanders could put some serious pressure on defenses with gadget plays of that nature.
Yes, pump the brakes a little. Lane hasn't proven anything just yet. But there is a growing sense he could provide a spark for a team with high aspirations in 2025.
