The Seahawks have selected Northwestern State's Jeremy Lane, a 6'0 185 pound press corner that also has some ability to play inside in zone. From the scouting reports that I've seen, he's very quick and athletic, long and lean and should have the ability to put on some weight. He's known for being a special teams standout and in 2011, he had 41 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. He was recently named the defensive MVP in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star game after making eight tackles and breaking up a pass.
NFP's Greg Gabriel, a former personnel man with the Bears, profiled Lane as a 'genuine sleeper' recently, noting that the small school defensive back "is a fluid athlete with good play speed. He has loose hips and can pedal and turn. He shows no wasted movement in transition. He plays press coverage probably 65 percent of the time and that is his forte. With his long arms he has a good jam and is able to redirect receivers. He has the suddenness to stay with receivers through moves and the speed to mirror deep. At times he tries to get too physical with his jam and that came back to haunt him versus Sam Houston. He missed the jam and got beat deep for a TD. Still, though he is lean, he tries to be physical and is a good hitter and tackler. He needs to add some some upper body strength, as he will have some tackles broken if he doesn't wrap well. In saying that he shows some blowup hitting ability (Delta State, LSU)."
Gabriel added, "In zone he is alert and shows good receiver awareness. He gets depth and plays good position. In the Stephen F. Austin game he showed his alertness in zone, coming off his zone to help out deep and getting a pick in the end zone. The area where he needs the most work is man off. While he shows fairly good skills, he still plays a bit loose in off and that's the coverage he will give up the most receptions."
Likely, he won't be asked to play a ton of off-man coverage for the Seahawks, especially on the outside, as they love their corners up on the line, pressing and re-routing receivers.
"He is very willing in run support and can be aggressive. The game that stands out is the LSU game where he had a big hit on a back near the goal line. What I liked about him in that game was he played with an attitude...like he was saying "you may be number one but I can play with you." While he did give up some catches, his overall play was good and he looked as if he belonged."
Overall, sounds exactly like a Seahawks type of player, to a T. Davis Hsu, for his part, has been beating the Jeremy Lane drum the last few weeks after Lane visited the VMAC, and it's not surprising the Seahawks are taking a shot on him at this point in the draft, especially after adding four more picks on days one and two.
Russ Lande, a former Rams scout that now produces a draft publication and writes for SportingNews, just tweeted:
"[Seahawks] hit a home run with pick of Jeremy Lane. He is a physical and tough CB with the coverage skills to eventually challenge for playing time."
Wes Bunting's scouting report:
At nearly 6-0, he possesses a naturally long set of arms and solid frame. He weighed in at only 183-pounds, but has the ability to continue to fill out without losing much athleticism.
Flashes an explosive first step and obvious change of pace to his game. He showcased a quick/balanced drop, was able to stay low out of his breaks and routinely created a burst when asked to close. He isn't the most natural of players and at times had a tough time feeling/recognizing routes/tells off the line. Nevertheless, he's a talented kid with some growth potential to his game.
Impression: Has the size and talent to get drafted. Needs to get a bit stronger and clean up his footwork, but has the skill set to play both inside and out in the NFL.