Assistant general manager Lance Newmark said the team was all on board to take Jaylin Lane with the 125th overall pick, and that's because the wideout could provide them with another dynamic piece on offense.
Although Lane's best college season came with MTSU, there were still plenty of moments during his time with Virginia Tech that showed off his skill set. Here are some of our top plays from his 2024 season.
Lane breaks loose for punt return touchdown against Marshall
Many Commanders fans have seen Lane's punt return touchdown against Marshall, and it's part of the reason why some have him as their favorite draft pick.
Marshall was looking to punt the ball away to end the first quarter against Virginia Tech, but Lane had other plans. He made the catch at the 42-yard line, broke a tackle and weaved between two more Marshall players. From there, Lane used his 4.3 speed to breeze past the rest of Marshall's coverage unit to run the rest of the way for the score.
The last Washington player to have a punt return touchdown was Jamison Crowder back in 2016, when he returned a punt 85 yards against the Baltimore Ravens in a 16-10 win.
Lane gets behind ODU secondary for walk-in touchdown
It's rare for a player to be as open as Lane was against Old Dominion. He showed their defense why they should have paid more attention to him.
It was early in the first quarter when Virginia Tech hit paydirt. They had set up a diversion with one of their offensive linemen at the 20-yard line, with the player waving his arms as if he was going to get the ball. Old Dominion fell for the ruse, and it left Lane wide open in the secondary.
By the time Old Dominion's defense realized what had happened, Lane was already over the goal line, giving the Hokies a 7-0 lead. Virginia Tech won 37-17, and Lane had seven catches for 106 yards.
Lane rides the sideline for a 46-yard gain
Later in the same game, the Hokies were close to a disaster. Fortunately for them, Lane eliminated the error with one of his best plays.
It's unclear what was supposed to happen on the play, but quarterback Kyron Drones' handoff fell through the running back's hands and bounced back to the 10-yard line. Drones evaded a tackle before finding Lane alone at the 23-yard line. It looked like the play was only going to be a minimal gain, but Lane shrugged off a couple of tackles and kept going.
Lane ended up breaking loose down the sideline and across the 50-yard line before meeting another ODU defender. He got pushed at the 40 but managed to stay inbounds and pick up another 20 yards before going down at the ODU 12-yard line.
It turned out that Lane stepped out of bounds at the 34-yard line, but it was still a momentum-shifting play that led to another Virginia Tech touchdown.
Lane scores on a reverse against Miami
Virginia Tech liked using Lane on reverses because he could use his speed to get to the edge. One of the best examples of that came against Miami, and the play helped the Hokies get a leg up on the Hurricanes.
The play was executed to perfection. Drones handed the ball off to the receiver in motion, who then flipped it back to Lane running in the opposite direction. A few of Miami's defenders caught on but couldn't catch up to Lane. Once Lane got to the sideline, he followed his blockers and cruised into the end zone to put Virginia Tech up 21-14.
It was another solid day for Lane, who had 69 yards on five touches.
Lane hauls in 66-yard bomb for a touchdown against Virginia
Virginia Tech needed a win to be bowl eligible, and they got it in the season finale against Virginia, thanks in part to Lane's biggest catch of the season.
The Hokies faced a second-and-1 and decided to take a shot downfield. Drones didn't have to wait long for an option, as he spotted Lane alone behind the Virginia secondary. From there, it was an easy trip to the end zone for Lane, who started hyping up the crowd at the 5-yard line.
It was an ideal send-off for Lane. Virginia Tech won, 37-17, while he had four catches for 91 yards.
