Armed Forces Sports

Watch: Navy Midshipmen Football Star Works Out During Senior Bowl Practices

This senior Navy Midshipmen defensive back is already impressing NFL scouts during his Senior Bowl workouts this week.

Matt Postins

Oct 21, 2023; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen safety Rayuan Lane III (18) grabs Air Force Falcons wide receiver Dane Kinamon (23) face masks during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Oct 21, 2023; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen safety Rayuan Lane III (18) grabs Air Force Falcons wide receiver Dane Kinamon (23) face masks during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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For former Navy Midshipmen safety Rayuan Lane III, this week in Mobile, Ala., is all about making a good first impression on NFL coaches, scouts and general managers during the lead-up to Saturday’s Senior Bowl.

This is the first chance Lane has had to fully interact with every team that has a draft pick in April’s NFL Draft, set for Green Bay, Wis. Unlike the NFL Scouting Combine next month, which is a far more formal affair, the Senior Bowl is a bit more laid-back and allows players and teams to have multiple conversations during the week.

Lane will be at the NFL Scouting Combine, too. But this week he has been preparing for the game, undergoing workouts under the tutelage of NFL coaches.

The Navy football social media account posted some video of Lane doing individual workouts earlier this week.

ScoutD, another site on social media, posted a longer clip of Lane going through a defensive back drill and making a great catch at the end of the drill.

And, Matt Wilson, who writes for SB Nation and appears to be covering the Senior Bowl, posted his impressions of Lane’s performance this week.

Lane is just the fifth Navy player to accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl, joining Napoleon McCallum (1986), Eric Kettani (2008), Joe Cardona (2014) and Chris Swain (2015). McCallum was named the most outstanding player the year he played.

Lane is one of the most experienced defensive backs in the country. He finished his career with 43 straight games at safety, which is the longest FBS streak for a safety and the second-longest for any defensive back. Pro Football Focus rated Lane as college football’s fourth-best safety.

Lane collected a number of awards, including National Special Teams Player of the Year, First-Team All-American on special teams and Honorable Mention All-American on defense by College Football Network, and First-Team All-American Athletic Conference on defense by the head coaches in the American Athletic Conference.

He finished his career with 244 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, seven interceptions (returning two for a touchdown), broke up 21 passes, recovered three fumbles and forced eight fumbles.

Lane wrapped up his football career with the Midshipmen in December as he helped them win the Armed Forces Bowl over Oklahoma. The victory helped Navy reach 10 wins for just the sixth time in program history. He also helped Navy win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy.

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Matt Postins
MATT POSTINS

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