Jaguars' HC Urban Meyer on New Broncos' LB Baron Browning: 'I Really Wanted Him'
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer experienced a fast-paced, jam-packed three days of learning on the fly over the past weekend, with the first-year coach undergoing his first NFL Draft process.
In it, Meyer likely saw just how dramatically different the draft is from recruiting, his old area of expertise. When it comes to recruiting, Meyer was able to put together a comprehensive list of the players he wanted and he could go after each. Now, he is learning the heartbreak that comes with being sniped by another team in the NFL Draft and seeing a player he was infatuated with go elsewhere.
Meyer experienced it first with Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney, but Toney wasn't the only one who the Jaguars' head coach admitted to seeing slip away. Joining Toney was another athletic marvel and high-upside prospect with Meyer ties: Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning.
One of the primary reasons the Jaguars traded up nine spots to pick No. 121 in the fourth round to select UAB edge rusher Jordan Smith? Because Meyer saw Browning fly off the board at pick No. 105 to the Denver Broncos, the final selection of the third-round -- and just one pick before the Jaguars were set to pick.
“That was the one area we had a need list and I saw him sitting there and that was one of my first experiences of ‘what if we lose him?’ because we did, we lost, everybody does, you see Baron Browning the night before and I said we’ve got the next pick, can we — boom, he’s gone, I really wanted him," Meyer explained on Saturday night following the draft.
"So we’re sitting there and we have our defensive coordinator sitting with us and here’s this really raw, talented guy who can rush the passer. Very raw, has a long way to go, but that’s why we did it.”
It is far from surprising that Meyer had his eyes set on Browning. Meyer utilized his recruiting ties frequently throughout the 2021 NFL Draft, especially with the selections of Jay Tufele and Luke Farrell. Browning, like Farrell, committed to Ohio State when Meyer was still the Buckeyes' head coach and spent his first few years in the program under Meyer's leadership.
According to 247Sports, Browning was the No. 11 overall recruit in the 2017 class and the nation's top outside linebacker recruit. He was a mega-recruit at the tail end of Meyer's Buckeyes tenure, so it is far from surprising that Meyer still had eyes on acquiring the athletic marvel, who started three games for the Buckeyes during Meyer's time at Ohio State.
Instead of selecting Browning, who would have figured in as a backup linebacker behind Myles Jack and Joe Schobert as a rookie, the Jaguars took USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele at No. 106 to start the fourth round. They then moved up for Smith, in large part because of how Meyer saw Browning get selected one pick before the Jaguars were on the board. Meyer and the Jaguars didn't want to risk the same happening to Smith.
"First, I feel like I was the best pass rusher in this draft. I’ve shown multiple different moves that I’ve used effectively where other pass rushers have less moves, two or three moves. I have a big arsenal of moves," Smith said after the Jaguars traded up for him.
"I use my mind. I use my mental game to help me excel in the game. So, I feel like I bring a lot to the table. I’m a great person. I’m a great teammate, great locker room guy, so I feel like I bring a lot to the table.”
