Baltimore Ravens Rookie Receivers Have Strong Bond and Similar Goals

The Baltimore Ravens two mid-round wideouts have a lot in common and a friendship that began before they became teammates.

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California wideout Ja'Kobi Lane (WO27) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's not uncommon for NFL prospects at the same and sometimes even polar opposite positions to become close with each other over the course of the pre-draft process. During this past cycle leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, that's what happened with Baltimore Ravens rookie receivers Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt months before they were selected in back-to-back rounds by the team in April.

Both first-year pros made recent appearances on 'The Lounge' podcast and spoke at length about their flourishing friendship on and off the field.

"It really started at the combine when we first met, and as soon as we met, it was like we were boys already, and that's just kind of his personality," Sarratt said. "He's outgoing, he treats you like family, but since we've been here, it's been nothing but love. We talk all the time, that's one of my closest, if not the closest person I'm with on the team right now."

While head coach Jesse Minter told reporters during minicamp that he envisions one of them seizing a consistent role in the Ravens offense, Sarratt believes that the "sky's the limit" for both as they not only push each other but also hold one another accountable.

"I feel like us two can do some big things in the league, and it's just a matter of keeping our head down and taking it day by day, for sure," Sarratt said.

Neither is a stranger to being part of a talented group at their position, as both were college teammates of wideouts who heard their names called in the first round in Makai Lemon and Omar Cooper Jr., so being in a competition that is both friendly and fierce is a familiar circumstance.

"I've been in very competitive receiver rooms as long as I've been playing, and I think that's one of those things that you can either see as a competition or a chance to grow as a whole," Lane said on The Lounge. "Being able to not only see it as a competition, and bring my best every day, but bring my best every day to push the guys around me. That's what I've always seen it as."

Lane was the first of the two selected by the Ravens in the third round out of USC and is happy to be paired with someone like Sarratt, who they picked in the fourth round and already comes into the league with a championship pedigree.

"I'm so glad that I'm coming in with Elijah fresh off a national championship," Lane said. "It's not like he's a guy that can't go at any time. We were the same people, and I think we realized that, and we want nothing but the best for each other. So that competition is is just as much of a love, and we want the best for each other."

Dynamic weapons willing to do whatever it takes to win

Indiana's Elijah Sarratt (13) kisses the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Both players came into the league profiled as prototypical 'X' receivers after making a name for themselves at their respective programs as dominant boundary targets who specialized in making contested catches, with Lane having a flair for spectacular one-handed snags and Sarratt coming up clutch in key moments.

However, since joining the team, they've each not only flashed more diverse skill sets and positional flexibility but also have expressed a willingness to lineup and execute whatever duty or assignment is asked of them to help the offense and team as a whole.

“We're bigger guys, but we kind of got some (versatility) and our games,” Sarratt said. “We both kind of played outside. (Lane is) like a real true ‘X’, I’m kind of like a tweener, outside slot guy.

“We have our similarities and differences, but I feel like we can combat off each other a lot, man. I feel like he could even go into the slot, maybe play some ‘Z’ or something, just run some different type routes, because he's a good route runner.”

Even though the team wasn't in pads or even full contact during the OTAs or minicamp, that didn't stop Lane from showing off his ability as a blocker on the perimeter when he took on fellow rookie and second-round edge rusher Zion Young on a notable rep.

“Whatever the team needs me to do, I'm going to fulfill it,” Lane said. “I don't really care whether that special teams, playing receiver, being a package guy. I think being able to be around (offensive coordinator Declan) Doyle, his idea for the offense is next level, and I think I'm going to fit in wherever I'm put in, and I'm going to fulfill my role to the best of my abilities.”

Winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal for every player on all 32 teams heading into each season. Having just experienced what it's like to reach that pinnacle in college as a member of an undefeated Hoosiers' squad in his final year, Sarratt is hungry and determined to help the Ravens end their 13-year title drought as well now that he's in the pros.

“Championships is the name of the game for me, man,” Sarratt said. “If you're not winning, you're not doing too much, man. I pray I can win the championship here one day. That’d be amazing.”