Navy Midshipmen Defensive Star Invited to NFL Scouting Combine

A senior Navy Midshipmen defensive back is heading to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February.

Navy safety Rayuan Lane III (18) tries to block pass to Memphis' Koby Drake. / Chris Day / USA TODAY NETWORK

More than a week after he accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, Navy Midshipmen safety Rayuan Lane III was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Navy announced the invitation on its web site and social media page. It’s the latest indication that NFL scouts see Lane as a potential selection in April’s draft.

Lane just wrapped up his football career with the Midshipmen 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.

He is the first Navy player to be invited to the combine since Malcolm Perry in 2019. There will be up to 300 players that will participate in the combine, which is set for Feb. 27-March 2.

Before that, he’ll play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Feb. 1, with a week’s worth of workouts leading up to that. While the combine is a more formal affair and players can only meet with a set number of teams, the Senior Bowl is a bit more informal and there’s a chance Lane could have unlimited conversations with NFL general managers and coaches in attendance.

Lane’s acceptance of the invitation is historic for the Midshipmen, as he will be just the fifth player to earn an invite to the Senior Bowl, joining Napoleon McCallum (1986), Eric Kettani (2008), Joe Cardona (2014) and Chris Swain (2015).

McCallum earned MVP honors in the game and played nine years in the NFL.

Service academy members can apply for a waiver to play professional sports after graduation, though those waivers are usually reserved for those that make a team, as McCallum did.

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.

Lane III finishes 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. He was considered by the Navy coaching staff as the best gunner on the punt team in the FBS.