Former Florida Gators DT Taven Bryan is Starting to Emerge for the Jaguars
Former Gators defensive tackle Taven Bryan quietly in a solid second season in the NFL since being drafted in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018.
Bryan, a former three-star offensive line recruit, made the transition to defensive tackle under former Gators head coach Jim McElwain during his stint in Gainesville from 2014-17. After redshirting during his freshman season, Bryan took some time to get acclimated to the position before thriving during his redshirt junior season in 2017.
During his final season at Florida, Bryan accounted for 17 solo tackles, four sacks, and six tackles for loss. While his production came few and far between, it was his athleticism and strength which showed the NFL enough potential-wise for him to be selected 29th overall during the 2018 NFL Draft.
Since being selected by the Jaguars, Bryan has manned multiple positions, including the position he played in college - three-technique defensive tackle. It was during his second season - last year, 2019 -, where Bryan truly showcased some of the potentials that garnered a first-round selection.
In a study conducted by JaguarReport's Gus Logue, Bryan was shown to be the Jaguars' most productive defensive player in 2019. During the 2019 season, the Jaguars as a whole lacked much of anything defensively, just two years following becoming one of the best defensive units in football. Bryan, while he did not generate a lot of sacks - two in 2019 -, he did prove to be a productive player last season, producing 34 "playmaking plays" on the year.
"Playmaking plays are solo tackles, assisted tackles, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, quarterback hits, pass deflections, interceptions and blocked punt/field goals," JaguarReport wrote. "Not all of these plays are created equal, as a tackle in the backfield will result in a better defensive EPA (Expected Points Added - 'analyzes how much any given play is likely to result in points at the end of a drive') than a tackle 10 yards past the line of scrimmage."
According to the study, Bryan ranked first in plays made per defensive snap among eligible Jaguars defenders while also finishing with 34 plays made total in 481 defensive snaps. Those plays included nine quarterback pressures and seven tackles in the final five games of the season.
Historically, former Gators defensive linemen have struggled to maintain production once making the leap from college to the pros, whether it be due to injury, off the field issues, or simply a lack of NFL talent, there have not been many hallmark players. Bryan looks to end that narrative next season as he enters year three with the Jaguars, hoping to build off of his final few games last season.
The Gators will hope to attain similar production out of their new 2020 defensive tackle recruit, Gervon Dexter who is expected to make an immediate impact at Florida. Dexter is the only five-star recruit to sign with the Gators out of high school in the Dan Mullen era.
With the Gators needing help in the middle of the defense, Dexter will surely provide the punch that Mullen looks for in his defenders.
