The Jaguars exited the 2024 NFL draft with nine new contributors, bolstering their roster with potential after signing eight free agents between March and April in their offseason-long effort to reclaim postseason status this year.
How impactful might Jacksonville’s rookie class be as the team chases a playoff spot?
Jaguars Wire is projecting roles and rookie production for each of Jacksonville’s 2024 draft picks, wrapping up the series by focusing on the Jaguars’ seventh-round, No. 236 overall selection, edge rusher Myles Cole.
Myles Cole’s projected role with the Jaguars
The Jaguars took a flier on Cole late in the draft, placing a low-wage bet on his athletic profile in hopes of unlocking far more production than he achieved over six seasons in college.
Cole averaged fewer than one sack per year, peaking with 3.5 in his final season at Texas Tech. In total, he accumulated 88 tackles with 12.5 for loss, five sacks, and one defended pass over 59 games, including 25 starts.
But while Cole’s statistics don’t jump off the page, Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen believes Cole flashed plenty of promise on the plays he was involved in, even if they don’t show up on the box score.
Per Pro Football Focus, he recorded 47 quarterback pressures and 57 defensive stops (tackles that constitute a failed play for the offense) in his career, for example.
“When you grind the tape on him, he’s made some plays now. You’ve just got to grind through it a little bit and find out,” Nielsen said about Cole on May 20.
Cole was also an unheralded star at the NFL Combine. At 6-foot-6, 278 pounds with nearly 37-inch arm length, he clocked a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, a 35-inch vertical jump and a 120-inch broad jump, each result ranking among the top 30 percent of edge rushers at the combine since 1999.
“We’re excited about him, the measurables and things like that. But what he was doing on his tape is very similar to the defensive end position that we like,” Nielsen said. “So, when you take those measurables and some of the things on the tape, ‘Yep.’ He’s a young guy that’s got to learn just like all the rookies, but we’re excited about his growth.”
With star edge rusher Josh Allen, former No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker and free-agent signee Trevis Gipson in front of him on the depth chart, the Jaguars aren’t likely to rush Cole’s development to get him on the field defensively.
Interior defensive lineman Arik Armstead, also a Jacksonville free-agent signee this offseason, could earn reps off the edge as a big defensive end in certain packages, too.
Although some plays might shine through on his lengthy college tape, there remains plenty of technical work for him to do to become a more consistent presence off the edge. Accordingly, he shouldn’t be expected to factor much into Jacksonville’s edge-rushing rotation in 2024, barring injury to one of Allen, Walker or Gipson.
Myles Cole’s projected rookie stats
- Seven total tackles
- 0.5 tackles for loss
Both seven tackles and half a tackle for loss would have ranked No. 12 among rookie defensive ends (out of 19) in 2023.