JACKSONVILLE – This was a day about defense.
If that element defined Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft for the Jaguars, something else also stood out during Rounds 2 and 3 Friday.
These are players who wanted to be in Jacksonville. Very, very much.
The Jaguars calling, I’m very delighted, said Jarrion Jones. “I’ve always wanted to play for the Jaguars. I’m going to put everything I possess into it.”
Maason Smith, a defensive lineman from Louisiana State University, was taken by the Jaguars with the 48th overall pick in the second round, while Jones, a cornerback from Florida State University, was selected with the 96th overall pick in the third round.
“We are extremely pleased with the players we have,” stated Trent Baalke, general manager of the Jaguars.
Early in Round 2, when four straight cornerbacks were picked from Selection Nos. 40–43, Baalke claimed the organization considered trading up for a cornerback.
“If you look historically at the draft in the second round, there’s a run on corners usually,” Baalke stated. “They come off quickly once they get going. It was not an unexpected development. You examine objects. You make an attempt to move. You can move at times. You can’t always.
“The board dropped about as accurately as we anticipated it would. The players we didn’t get never worries me. You could think about all the things you could have done for hours on end. The ones you have are your first concern because they are the most significant.
“We’re excited about the guys we’ve added up.”
Both defensive players Smith and Jones, who come from elite collegiate programs, were eager to join a team that they felt would be a perfect fit for them.
“I don’t think it could have worked out any better,” Smith, who is close to both LSU graduate and Round 1 wide receiver Brian Thomas, as well as several members of the Jaguars coaching staff, stated.
Smith (6-feet-6, 315 pounds), a two-year starter in college who entered the draft as a redshirt sophomore, fits the bill for Ryan Nielsen’s four-front style in part because he is a physically intimidating, lengthy defensive lineman.
Head coach of the Jaguars Doug Pederson referred to Smith as “a space-eater.”
“He is a large man,” Pederson remarked. “He has strong reflexes and is explosive. Simply by watching his footage, you can see him pursuing several ballcarriers. The attacking point can be held by him. He presses on the pocket’s inside.”
Pederson continued, “Sometimes you don’t have to get the quarterback as much as just disrupt and beat him off the spot and that’s what he’s capable of doing.”
Baalke stressed the importance of being stronger, more disruptive, deeper, and more physical in both the offensive and defensive lines early in the summer.
“You definitely have to control the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball – offensive and defense lines,” said Pederson. Mason joining that room, in our opinion, moves us closer to being able to dominate the line of scrimmage. You must be physically present. In any case, that is a bodily position. A man of his size, strength, and athleticism is a wonderful asset to the room.”
In addition to filling a void at cornerback, Jones, who spent a season at Mississippi State before spending the last four seasons with FSU, also seems to fit into the Nielsen scheme, which requires cornerbacks to play tough, physical press coverage.
Baalke remarked, “He can play both inside and outside there,” while Pederson referred to him as a “position-flex guy.”
Pederson remarked, “I can see him playing inside Day One.” In addition, he excels in special teams. There, too, he will provide us with value.”
Like Smith, Jones was excited about his new team on Friday. He claimed that one of the main reasons he grew up being a Jaguars fan was that one of his all-time favorite NFL players was the former running back Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars.
“I was a superfan of him,” Jones remarked, adding that from 2016 to 2019 he also kept up with former Florida State CB Jalen Ramsey while he was a member of the Jaguars.
“Now, me being able to continue that Florida State pipeline and come in and be able to make plays … it’s a blessing,” Jones stated.
In the weeks preceding the draft, Jones also attended a “local Pro Day” at the Jaguars’ facility, where he spoke with the team’s coaches and personnel executives.
“It’s significant,” Baalke remarked. “You’re hoping they have an amazing time. You hope you represent the organization well and that they see the passion we have for this organization and the work we do, whether we see them here, at the NFL Scouting Combine, or on one of the [“Top”] 30 visits. It is your wish that they perceive, comprehend, and desire to participate in it.”
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