Jaguars Select DB Daniel Thomas No. 157 Overall in Fifth Round of NFL Draft
For the third time this weekend, the Jacksonville Jaguars have used a draft pick to bolster their secondary. This time, they selected Auburn safety Daniel Thomas with the No. 157 overall pick in the fifth round.
Thomas joins C.J. Henderson (No. 9 overall) and Josiah Scott (No. 137 overall) as new members of the Jaguars' secondary.
This has been a defensive-heavy offseason and draft for the Jaguars. Out of their eight selections thus far, six have come on defense. One was spent on wide receiver Laviska Shenault (No. 42), while another pick was used to select offensive lineman Ben Bartch with the No. 116 overall pick.
In 2019, the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Thomas recorded 74 tackles. 5.5 tackles for loss, one pass deflection, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
In Thomas' four years in the SEC, he recorded 199 tackles, five interceptions, nine tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.
Thomas will join Ronnie Harrison, Jarrod Wilson, and Andrew Wingard at the safety position. Earlier this offseason, the Jaguars lost safety Cody Davis to the New England Patriots in free agency.
While the decision to largely ignore the offensive side of the ball thus far has been surprising, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Friday that contributors can still be found on that side of the ball as the draft goes on.
“I feel like we’re going to have players that are going to have traits that are going to be able to get that done. We’re not done yet," Marrone said.
"I think that a lot of times there is so much attention that gets put on these first two days with these first three rounds. There are high expectations for these players, and I understand that. For me, now we’re going into these later rounds where we’ve gotten some good players in the past, whether it’s in later rounds or free agency, and I think there’s a lot of money to be made."
