He has tons of natural talent.
Lane’s 6-foot-4 size immediately makes him stand out, but it didn’t make him an instant hit.
A skinny kid growing up, Lane wasn’t a starter on the varsity football team until his junior season. He had back-to-back massive seasons, proving he could be a weapon and earning scholarships from some of the most prestigious programs.
He signed with USC as the fourth-ranked receiver in his own class, and went about working his way up. Makai Lemon (a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles) became the No. 1 receiver for the Trojans, but Lane was a dangerous one. He caught 12 touchdowns as a junior, then followed it up with 745 receiving yards as a senior.
Lane had the highest percentage of contested targets in this year’s wide receiver draft class (33%), but he made the catch 49% of the time. His ability to go up and make plays for his quarterback is unique.
“Ja’Kobi’s always had that radius that is next to none,” Heap said. “He’s just about my height, he’s got a 40-inch vertical, and his hands are massive.”
Heap and Smith kept coming back to those hands. Of all of Lane’s physical attributes, they may be what stands out most at 10 ½ inches – the largest of any wide receiver in this year’s class.
“It’s always about the confidence you have in your hands,” Heap said. “There are some receivers that are faster when the ball is in the air and it’s because of the confidence in their hands. They know if they can get just a small fingertip on the ball, that there’s a chance to catch it – and a good chance at that.”
Heap preached to Lane in practice to try to catch everything. That builds trust with your quarterback and habits when it comes to games. That’s how Heap played, and it translated to Lane’s game, too.
“When you play in the NFL long enough, you see what a really good receiver looks like,” Heap said. “I’ve been watching Ja’Kobi for a long time. He probably has the most upside of just about any receiver in this draft, in my opinion.”