ASHBURN, VA (WTKR)- Jaylin Lane grew up as a fan of the Steelers, but always knew plenty about the burgundy and gold.
"They were really dominant in the early '90's when my dad was coming up," he recalled. "You get to see guys, Santana Moss and things like that, a lot of guys that kind of helped pave the way."
Now he's following that road. After two standout seasons at Virginia Tech, Lane has relocated from the New River Valley to the nation's capital. The Commanders selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this past April so he didn't have to go too far to reach his NFL home. Now he suits up in a similar shade of red to that of his college days.
"It's really cool," said Lane. "When I got drafted there were a lot of Hokie fans that were really excited, so it's cool to still be in VA and still have my people close to me."
The wide receiver now sets his sights on his top task of transitioning to the NFL game. Lane amassed more than 2,500 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns during his college career with the Hokies and Middle Tennessee State, but he's more focused on listening and learning for the yards and touchdowns to come.
"Any kind of advice, and kind of criticism, whatever it is, I'm going to welcome it all," he noted. "The worst thing I can do is come out here and think I made it, but the best thing I can do is come out here and grow."
He's in a good group, as plenty of the Washington receivers have taken him under their wings.
"He's coming along well," noted fellow receiver K.J. Osborn. "Rookie, willing to learn, works hard, takes coaching, so he's able to make some plays. You see his speed, so this should be exciting."
"We've got a room full of great vets in the receiving room," Lane added. "You've got Deebo (Samuel), Noah Brown, K.J. Osborn, guys like that who have really stepped up and every chance they get they're trying to coach me up."
Every player has goals, but Lane says his ambitions during year one have nothing to do with stats or numbers. He's eager to show he's valuable and wants to begin his NFL career by capitalizing when his number was called.
"As a rookie, you've got to find ways to show your worth, earn trust and things like that," Lane said. "Whatever role I'm given by my coaches and teammates, I want to dominate and earn the trust, earn the respect and help us win games."
Commanders Training Camp continues Friday at 8 a.m. before the team's first day off of camp Saturday.
