Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Draft USC WR Ja’Kobi Lane in 3rd Round

The Baltimore Ravens drafted USC WR Ja’Kobi Lane in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. RSR staff react to the pick here.

.@markingramII said what he said

Tune into the NFL Draft on NFLNetwork, ABC & ESPN pic.twitter.com/q5oufxmstf

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2026

Rob Shields

Ravens take Ja’Kobi Lane, WR out of USC. Highlights showed a lot of tough one handed catches, so the ball skills are there.

His RAS score was 9.39. His 40 yard dash was sub 4.5…and that is at almost 6’5” and 200 lbs.

A big target on the outside is something Lamar hasn’t had in his time with the Ravens. He could be a red zone threat from day 1 and hopefully more as the season and his career progresses.

Little surprised they didn’t grab a center there but they must feel like there will be some available in the next round or two.

Ja’Kobi Lane was drafted in round 3 with pick 80 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 9.39 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 257 out of 4196 WR from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/5ne22lV2xU pic.twitter.com/BbZYcglAEW

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

Chris Schisler

Poor man’s Drake London? That’s what the upside version of this pick. I believe you should take at least one receiver and one defensive back in just about every draft – you can never have too many playmakers at these positions. You almost have to throw noodles at the wall and see what sticks. There’s a lot of upside here for Lane. He can go up and make some circus catches. You’d like to see more separation, but that’s what Zay Flowers is for. Besides, what kind of Raven does it the easy way?

I’m optimistic, if Lane pans out, it’s going to be big for Baltimore. Let’s just have third round expectations on him and see what happens.

Darin McCann

I’ll be honest: I was hoping the Ravens would come out with a clear answer at center tonight. Maybe there’s another move, or a good one drops to them tomorrow, but there is quite a bit of uncertainty there right now.

As for Lane, he’s fun. He provides that contested-catch skill the team has been largely lacking, with a nice dash of explosion, to boot. I don’t think this is necessarily a true “one,” at least at this stage of his development, but he can win downfield and can beat-feet downfield if he breaks a tackle on a short one.

He should also become a dangerous red-zone target right from the start. Hands, height and hops = matchup nightmare.

John Hughey

Lamar Jackson gets his big-body receiver, with Ja’Kobi Lane measuring in at 6-foot-4, 200 lbs. Lane showed a dip in receiving TDs in 2025, but he gives the Ravens much-needed size on the outside. His length creates true mismatches against opposing secondaries, and it led to 18 career receiving TDs across three seasons. Lane comes in as an intriguing red zone target right away. The three biggest needs entering the draft were interior offensive line, center, and receiver, and through three rounds, DeCosta and the front office have delivered on two of the three. We’ve seen runs on centers and tight ends, which should be two positions the Ravens address tomorrow.

Jared Pinder

Lane is, to me, a weird selection. While he is big, he doesn’t have separation skills. However, he does have good hands and ran a good 40. There still are great players available later, but I personally would have went with a center with this pick. Not terrible, but right now – in my opinion – this is the worst of the three picks so far.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/04/24/knee-jerk-reactions/knee-jerk-reactions-ravens-draft-usc-wr-jakobi-lane-in-3rd-round/