Navy senior safety Rayuan Lane III was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. Lane, who will commission as a Marine Corps officer after graduating next month, becomes the 19th Naval Academy graduate to be drafted and the first who played in the secondary. He helped lead Navy to a 10-3 season in 2024, highlighted by a Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy sweep and a win over Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl. Lane finished his career with 244 tackles, seven interceptions, and eight forced fumbles, and was named First-Team All-AAC and College Football Network’s FBS Special Teams Player of the Year. His ability to play immediately is made possible by a 2025 NDAA provision allowing limited service academy transfers to the Selected Reserves.

“I’m excited and thankful that the Jacksonville Jaguars believed in me as a person and football player to give me this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Lane in a prepared statement. “I want to thank my family, my teammates and coaches at both the Gilman School and the Naval Academy and everybody else who has helped me through this journey. I am excited for the opportunity to be both a Jacksonville Jaguar and a Marine Corps Officer.”

“We are all super proud of Rayuan and ecstatic for him and his family,” said Navy head football coach Brian Newberry. “He’s been both a great midshipman and football player for the last four years and I know he will continue to represent himself, the Naval Academy and the United States Marine Corps in a first-class way. We wish him all the best. Go Jacksonville! Go Navy! Beat Everyone!”

Lane is the first Navy defensive player drafted since 1993 and joins a recent list that includes Malcolm Perry, Keenan Reynolds, and Joe Cardona.