Tag: Jordan Jefferson

Stats, facts and fit: New Jaguars DL Jordan Jefferson

Stats, facts and fit: New Jaguars DL Jordan Jefferson

Jacksonville double-dipped on the defensive line class — taking two trench prospects from the same school, specifically — of the 2024 NFL draft. After selecting Maason Smith in the second round, the Jaguars picked fellow former LSU lineman Jordan Jefferson at No. 116 overall.

Jaguars Wire analyzes Jacksonville’s selection of Jefferson below, reviewing his background, college stats, NFL combine results, projected fit in Jacksonville’s defense and what he said after being picked.

Jordan Jefferson, DL, LSU

Sep 18, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson (95) celebrates after a defensive stop during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Background

A Sunshine State native from Navarre (Fla.) High, Jefferson signed with West Virginia in the 2019 recruiting class and spent four seasons with the Mountaineers before transferring to LSU.

Jefferson’s first two seasons with West Virginia were quiet before he exploded between 2021-22, compiling 13.5 tackles for loss, 48 total tackles and six pass breakups.

He paired with Smith and Mekhi Wingo, a sixth-round pick by Detroit on Sunday, to form the Tigers’ primary defensive front in 2023, appearing in all 13 games and starting in six. He totaled 36 tackles with seven for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup with LSU, in his final season of college eligibility.

College stats and accolades

via LSU Sports and Pro Football Focus 

  • 55 appearances
  • 23 starts
  • 90 tackles
  • Six sacks
  • 21.5 tackles for loss
  • One forced fumble
  • Eight passes defended
  • 28 quarterback pressures
  • 44 defensive stops (tackles that constitute a failed play for the offense)
  • 2024 Senior Bowl invitation

NFL combine results

via MockDraftable

  • 6-foot-2 and 3/4-inch (36th percentile among defensive tackles at the NFL combine since 1999)
  • 313 pounds (71st percentile)
  • 33 and 1/8-inch arm length (48th percentile)
  • 79 and 1/4-inch wingspan (43rd percentile)
  • 31-inch vertical jump (71st percentile)
  • 104-inch broad jump (40th percentile)
  • 34 bench press reps (87th percentile)

Projected fit

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke confirmed that Jefferson profiles as a nose tackle in Jacksonville’s defense. The position should allow him to slide between the zero-to-two techniques in coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s multiple defensive front.

“Power. He’s a guy that consistently had great knockback at the point of attack, uses his hands extremely well, dominates his area at the point,” Baalke described Jefferson’s skill set. “A lot to like and see a big upside in that player.”

Jefferson will likely back up DaVon Hamilton at the spot, who started 14 games in 2022 but was limited to eight appearances in 2023 due to a non-football-related back injury suffered before the season. Hamilton signed a three-year, $34.5 million extension with Jacksonville last April.

Quotable

“They are getting two dominant dogs. They are getting two guys that are going to cause disruption not only in the run game but also the pass game. They are getting just all-around, quality guys. They are getting some hard-working guys, guys that are going to show up to work every day and put forth all their effort.” — defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson on Jacksonville selecting him and fellow LSU defensive lineman Maason Smith

DT Jordan Jefferson drafted in 4th round, becomes 3rd LSU player selected by Jaguars

Jordan Jefferson is joining Brian Thomas Jr. and Maason Smith in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars are importing the bayou to northeast Florida, it seems.

Jacksonville selected LSU defensive tackle [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] with the 116th pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday, making him the third former Tiger the team has picked this weekend.

He joins first-round selection [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] and second-round selection [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] in Duval. The move will also pair him and Smith up once again with former LSU defensive coordinator [autotag]Matt House[/autotag], who was hired as the Jags’ linebackers coach this offseason.

Jefferson spent just one season at LSU as a graduate transfer from West Virginia. He began the season as a rotational player but became a starter when [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] went down with injury.

 

Jefferson appeared in 13 games with six starts at LSU in 2023, totaling 36 tackles (seven for loss) and 2.5 sacks.

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2024 NFL draft: Jaguars select DT Jordan Jefferson in fourth round

Jaguars pick DT Jordan Jefferson in fourth round, their third LSU Tiger selection of the 2024 NFL draft

Jacksonville took its third LSU prospect of the 2024 NFL draft with the No. 116 overall pick in the fourth round, choosing Tigers defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson, minutes following the Jaguars’ selection of Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster at No. 114.

Jacksonville picked Jefferson’s teammates, LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23 in the first round and Tigers defensive tackle Maason Smith at No. 48 in the second round, on Thursday and Friday.

The Jaguars obtained the No. 116 selection via trade with New Orleans last year.

Jefferson, 6-foot-2 and 3/4-inch, 313 pounds, spent the 2023 season at LSU after four years at West Virginia, the school he signed with out of Navarre (Fla.) High in the class of 2019.

Over 55 games and 23 starts in his college career, Jefferson compiled 90 tackles including 21.5 for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble, eight defended passes, 28 quarterback pressures and 44 defensive stops, the latter two stats provided by Pro Football Focus.  Stops are tackles that constitute a failed play for the offense.

While Smith best projects as a three-technique with the potential to play five-technique and nose tackle, Jefferson profiles as a true nose tackle who should offer depth to Jaguars’ starter DaVon Hamilton in 2024.

Additionally, Jacksonville took Florida State cornerback Jarrian Jones at No. 96 in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Jaguars’ remaining 2024 NFL draft picks

  • Round 5, Pick 153
  • Round 5, Pick 167 (via Minnesota)
  • Round 6, Pick 212
  • Round 7, Pick 236

This is a breaking news story that will be updated. 

Where Jayden Daniels ranks among quarterbacks on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board

Here’s where Jayden Daniels and other Tigers rank on Mel Kiper Jr.’s final draft board.

We’re just over 48 hours away from the start of the 2024 NFL draft, and that means it’s time for analysts and prognosticators to put forth their final predictions.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his final big board on Tuesday ahead of the draft, and when it came to LSU players, there weren’t a lot of changes from what we’ve seen over the past few months.

LSU quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] — the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner — is still ranked second overall and among quarterbacks behind only Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, Daniels’ favorite college targets [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] rank fifth and 17th, respectively, as well as third and fourth among receivers.

The Tigers don’t have as many mid-round prospects as we’ve seen in past years. That trio comprises the only LSU players in the top 75 with [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag] coming in at 78th overall followed by [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] at 92.

Those were the only players Kiper had in his top 150, though [autotag]Charles Turner III[/autotag] (No. 11 center), [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] (No. 12 defensive tackle), [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] (No. 32 inside linebacker), [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] (No. 28 outside linebacker) and [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag] (No. 30 safety) all cracked the positional rankings.

It likely won’t be as many players as LSU has seen drafted overall in some recent years, but it’s a top-heavy class for the Tigers, and Thursday’s Round 1 should be an eventful one.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

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Photos of LSU players at the 2024 NFL combine, including Brian Thomas Jr.’s historic performance

Brian Thomas Jr. headlined LSU’s contingent in Indianapolis this weekend after he posted one of the best receiver combines ever.

The 2024 NFL scouting combine is in the books, and it was a busy weekend for former LSU Tigers and current draft hopefuls.

While LSU’s two biggest stars — quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and receiver [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], both of which are projected top 10 picks — didn’t participate in drills and only interviewed, a number of other players went through the full gauntlet.

That includes [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag], who may have helped his stock more than anyone in Indianapolis this week. Thomas registered the second-fasted 40-yard dash time among receivers and recorded a Relative Athletic Score that ranked 10th all-time at the position in the combine’s history.

It was also the best in program history for LSU.

Also in action this weekend were [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag], [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag], [autotag]Maason Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] and [autotag]Andre Sam[/autotag]. Here are the photos from all of them in Indianapolis this weekend.

7-Round Mock Draft: Trades net Cowboys OC, LB, WR, RB

What fun is a mock draft if there aren’t trades involved? The Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones used to have a reputation as wheelers and dealers, but they’ve reserved most of their movement for the second half of most recent drafts. Gone are the days …

What fun is a mock draft if there aren’t trades involved? The Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones used to have a reputation as wheelers and dealers, but they’ve reserved most of their movement for the second half of most recent drafts. Gone are the days when the team moved up or done on a regular basis, but that might all change in 2024 with their “all-in” decree.

Dallas moved back a few spots in 2021 when they dropped from 10th to 12th and still ended up with Micah Parsons. Prior to that, Dallas hadn’t moved in the first round since 2013. That year they dropped from No. 18 to No. 31 and selected Travis Frederick at center along with WR Terence Williams with the extra pick. The year prior they bundled picks to move up and select CB Morris Claiborne. Things have been much more measured in the last decade.

In our latest mock draft simulation, we not only move around in Round 1, but several other times during the draft. The objective is to use the first several picks on players who could fill an immediate role on the club.

5 one-tech DTs the Colts should target in 2024 NFL draft

Searching for depth at the 1-Tech for the Colts in the draft.

Until the Indianapolis Colts go through free agency, there isn’t a clear position that Chris Ballard needs to target in the upcoming NFL draft.

Free agency should help clear up some question marks surrounding the roster and one area on the defense that can end up becoming a big need is the one-technique defensive tackle position—if the team doesn’t re-sign Grover Stewart.

I am in the camp that Stewart has to be brought back in 2024 but even with him on the roster, Ballard should keep one-tech defensive tackles on his radar in the draft.

Stewart will be turning 31 during the upcoming NFL season so he doesn’t have much tread on his tires left. If Ballard re-signs him, then it will likely come on a 2-3 year deal so the future of his spot has to be kept in mind this offseason.

While Stewart has been very durable in his career, his six-game suspension in 2023 showed that the defense looks drastically different when he isn’t in the lineup. There needs to be quality depth beyond him if he were to miss time for any reason in 2024.

Here are five defensive tackle prospects that Ballard can target for the one-tech role in the draft:

2024 NFL draft: 4 DT prospects who could replace Larry Ogunjobi

If the Steelers move on from Larry Ogunjobi, here are some draft prospects to consider reaplacing him with.

One of the more obvious candidates for either a contract restructure or to be released is Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi. If Pittsburgh designates Ogunjobi for a post-June 1 release, it would save the Steelers $9.75 million. In a rebuild that is a huge amount of cap to spend elsewhere.

If the Steelers do choose to move on from Ogunjobi, it will mean a much larger role for Keeanu Neal but the Steelers will still need to add another interior player. Here are four guys in the 2024 NFL draft that fit the bill.

Titans 5-round mock draft: Taking a LT in Round 1

In our first mock draft of the offseason, the Titans address four big needs with their first four picks.

Since the Tennessee Titans’ season ended, we’ve covered mock drafts of experts from different media outlets, but now it’s time to bring you one of our own to give a local perspective of what the team could do once the 2024 NFL draft rolls around.

The Titans have a ton of needs on both sides of the ball, but the most glaring of the bunch are at wide receiver and offensive line, where the Titans must improve to put quarterback Will Levis in a better position to succeed.

In my first mock draft of the offseason, I have the Titans addressing both of those needs with their first two picks.

For this mock, I used The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator and the only stipulation was that I only had one crack at making picks for Tennessee, so there weren’t any redos.

Here’s a look at how things shook out under that condition, and make sure to vote in our poll at the bottom to give your grade for this five-rounder (note: Titans don’t have a third-round pick).

PHOTOS: LSU’s Jordan Jefferson, Charles Turner participate in the Senior Bowl

The Tigers had a pair of representatives at the Senior Bowl this week.

It was Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama, and a pair of former LSU Tigers were in attendance hoping to boost their draft stocks.

Both center [autotag]Charles Turner[/autotag] and defensive tackle [autotag]Jordan Jefferson[/autotag] are viewed as likely Day 3 prospects, but they’ll hope their performances this week could change that.

Turner was a five-year player at LSU who started every game he appeared in at center over the past two seasons. In his career, he made 40 appearances with 27 starts.

Jefferson, meanwhile, was a transfer this season from West Virginia. He began the year as a rotational player but became a starter after [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] went down.

Here are the photos from both players at Senior Bowl practice and Saturday’s game.