2022 NFL Draft: Why the Jaguars Drafted Arkansas CB Montaric Brown
Not many people expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to double-dip at cornerback during the 2022 NFL Draft, but that is exactly what the Jaguars did when they drafted Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown with the No. 222 overall pick in the draft's final round -- just one round after they drafted cornerback Gregory Junior.
"The two corners at the end, you look at the best player available on the board, need, the ability to come in, both of them are talented young guys that have a chance to make the team and compete," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said following the draft.
"They’re both fast enough to compete on special teams, so there’s a lot of upside to both of them we felt.”
With the Jaguars already having Tyson Campbell, Shaquill Griffin and Darious Williams locked in as starters with Tre Herndon and Chris Claybrooks providing depth behind them, not many pegged the Jaguars as a team who would potentially invest multiple picks at the cornerback spot.
But that is exactly what the Jaguars did in taking Brown a round after taking Junior. The Jaguars saw Brown as a cornerback who fits what they look for in the position, one who they think has a legitimate chance to stick on the roster.
“Again, he just comes in and he fits. He comes in, he competes there. He comes in, he gets some reps there. We know we have some guys that are ahead of him that we obviously feel comfortable with, but you never know," Pederson said.
"He could be one play away. Jamal [Agnew]’s coming off an injury obviously and we have to make sure that he’s 100 percent before he gets back out on that football field. You’re always looking for guys, especially in the DB room or the running back room who can return kicks for you, whether it’s punts or kick offs and kick returns. He can do that and we’ll just get him out there and see what he can do.”
Brown, a former four-star safety recruit, appeared in 42 games and started 34 over the last four seasons. He finished his career with 132 tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, 23 pass deflections, and seven interceptions.
Brown led Arkansas in pass deflections with seven in 2020 before leading the team with 11 in 2021 and leading the entire SEC in interceptions with five, leading to him earning first-team All-SEC honors as a redshirt senior.
