Jaguars Sign Rookie CB Deantre Prince

The fifth round cornerback is the first Jaguars rookie to sign.

Sep 9, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Mississippi Rebels cornerback Deantre Prince (7) / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars have kicked off signing their rookie draft class, agreeing to terms with fifth round cornerback Deantre Prince on Friday.

Prince, the No. 153 pick in last month's draft, is one of two cornerbacks the Jaguars drafted in April. Prince is expected to compete for a spot on special teams as a rookie as he learns from veteran cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Ronald Darby.

“Again, I want to be able to just watch them move around. It's one of the things I explained to them last night is some of the techniques and things might be a little different than what they learned in college, and to embrace that because we're trying to make them better as football players and how they can help us," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said about Prince and third-round cornerback Jarrian Jones on Friday.

"But all three of those guys talented guys, obviously guys we wanted here. They give us depth at the position. It’s hard because we're not doing one-on-ones, we're not doing the seven-on-sevens and all this. This is a time just to see how much they can really understand the defense just on air. We'll know more obviously when we get to training camp, when pads come on, and their physicality and all that stuff. But I'm excited to get them out there this afternoon and watch them move, just watch their athleticism. I think that's for us as coaches, too, it kind of gives us a better picture as to how we can use them defensively.”

Prince started all 13 games for Ole Miss last year, recording 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and an interception. In four seasons at Ole Miss, Prince appeared in 51 games and started 37. He recorded 146 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, 27 pass deflections, and six interceptions. In 2022, Prince led Ole Miss in pass breakups with 12 total.

"He's got length and he's got speed. So in this draft, I think we added four guys that are sub 4.4, two corners that can run," Jaguars assistant general manager Ethan Waugh said on Friday. "Again, it's a height, weight, speed, league. If you're not the starting corner right away, you have a chance to make a big contribution on special teams if you can really run. He can do that. He'll tackle. He's a competitive kid out there. I think he'll do good things.”