Urban Meyer: Andre Cisco in the Hunt for Starting Spot

Former Syracuse defensive back Andre Cisco has caught the attention of Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer. Meyer was asked about Cisco's performance thus far in camp and the preseason, and where he stands within the roster.

"Boy he's been doing good," Meyer said on Friday. "He's in the hunt for a starting spot."

Cisco was selected by the Jaguars in the third round, 65th pick overall, in the 2021 NFL Draft after three seasons at Syracuse. His 2020 season was cut short due to injury. Prior to the injury, he was considered a potential first round pick. With the injury, he slid to the third round. The Jaguars appear to have received excellent value on that pick, as he has performed much more like a first rounder than a third.

The talented defensive back finished his Syracuse career with 136 tackles, two tackles for loss, 14 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one defensive touchdown. He led the ACC in interceptions in 2018 and 2019, and ranks third on Syracuse's all-time interceptions list despite missing more than one and a half seasons due to injury and departing early.

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Former NFL head coach Jim Mora Jr. can't be surprised by Cisco's emergence. He thought quite highly of the former Orange safety heading into the draft.

"With Andre, I think he's going to have a really productive NFL career," Mora Jr. said. "He does everything well. Tackling concerns me but you can figure that out. He's not a bad tackler because he lacks courage. It's just his angles aren't always good. So the more he plays, the more he comes to understand the NFL game that's more of a passing league, the fact that he's a fearless run defender, a heat seeking missile. A guy that can make people hesitate when they try to catch the ball over the middle. Those are all great traits to have. So I think he's going to have a really solid career. He might start out as a special teams player, where he can have a tremendous impact. But he's a guy who I think will start in the league as a safety for sure.

"He's a heat seeking missile. Filling the lanes, the run fits. I did a game two years ago, ESPN game there at Syracuse, and that was the guy that just kept catching me eye. Of course I knew who he was, I knew he's a good player, but just the way he played. The passion he played with, the energy he played with, the intensity, the violence he tried to bring to the game I loved."