University of Akron wide receiver Jerome Lane Jr. guarantees he’ll redeem himself from a lackluster showing last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
Lane hoped to run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 or 4.5 seconds, but he posted an official time of 4.6. Fifty-one receivers ran the 40 at the combine, and only 12 of them finished with a worse time than Lane, an Akron native and Firestone High School graduate.
So Lane said Monday in a phone interview he’ll run the 40 again March 24 at Akron’s pro day.
“I guarantee I’m coming out with a better time than a 4.6,” he said. “I have no doubt in my mind.”
Lane was disappointed in his broad jump of 10 feet, 5 inches, even though it tied for 10th among receivers at the combine. He’ll redo it at his pro day, too.
He’ll also run routes and catch passes at UA after experiencing some letdowns during the combine’s on-field drills.
“That was another area where I didn’t do my best,” said Lane, 6-foot-2½ and 226 pounds.
Among receivers at the combine, Lane tied for fifth in bench press (16 repetitions of 225 pounds), tied for fifth in the 20-yard shuttle (4.12 seconds) and finished 12th in three-cone drill (6.87 seconds).
But, overall, he wasn’t happy about his outing.
Lane has received encouragement from his parents, agent and marketing representative as well as his trainer, Clif Marshall, the performance director at Ignition in Mason, Ohio.
With their support, Lane vowed to stay motivated as he prepares for a career in the NFL.
“Every chance that I get is a chance to prove to people what I can do, that the MAC [Mid-American Conference] has talent and just to show people I have a chip on my shoulder and I come to compete,” Lane said. “So when I feel like I don’t give my best, I feel like I’m proving [the skeptics] right.
“Every time I go out there, I want to blow people away. That’s my objective. So when I’m not fully satisfied, I get eager to prove what I can do the next time. The desire grows more and more and more. So at this pro day, I really want to show people how good my route running became and my hands and how much faster I am than a 4.6 in the 40.”
In other words, UA’s pro day will be a big deal for Lane.
“Pro day will be huge,” he said.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.