New York Giants Sign Big-Bodied Akron Receiver Jerome Lane
Big Blue made a roster change that affected the wide receiver position room.
The New York Giants opted to sign wide receiver and Akron-product Jerome Lane, after waiving Jalen Williams of Massachusetts. Lane has a prototypical wide receiver frame and could find a role behind the starting forces for the team.
At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Lane has the ability to make catches in coverage and bully his way off the line.
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Lane has a 4.6 second 40-yard dash time, which is standard for a receiver. His strength is undeniably his size, which dwarfs many cornerbacks across the board, making him an immediate threat on the outside.
He played three seasons for Akron, garnering 101 catches for 1,800 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2016, he `managed third-team All-MAC, finishing with a strong 62 catches for 1,062 yards and six total touchdowns.
Pretty solid numbers for an emerging receiver with only two years of experience.
Lane also played linebacker in college, enabling him to see both sides of the ball. According to Pro Football Talk, Lane is the son of the former basketball player by the same name.
New York Giants
Despite his size and strength, his lack of speed may be a killer and could hinder his ability to bring his game to the next level.
He lacks separations off the line and often has to push-off to give himself room to make a clean catch, which were almost always contested.
The New York Giants already have Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard, Tavarres King, Roger Lewis and Dwayne Harris suiting up on Sundays, so Lane’s services may be insignificant initially.
Regardless, you can’t have enough depth going into training camp, and who knows, maybe he could surprise us down the road.
Big Blue also took a flier on Florida State Seminoles receiver Travis Rudolph, the golden boy.
Rudolph is known for his selfless act of eating lunch with an autistic boy, which made headlines around the nation.
Adding Rudolph and Lane to the roster will surely create some competition in training camp, and could be something to watch out for as one of them will surely be forced to hit the road come August.