NFL Draft: Jaguars Select EDGE Jordan Smith at No. 121
The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to add to the defensive side of the ball—particularly the front seven—selecting EDGE rusher Jordan Smith out of UAB with the 121st pick overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The club originally opened pick 130, the 25th pick in the fourth round, as one the Jaguars received as part of the deal that sent corner Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. During Saturday's draft however, General Manager Trent Baalke traded it back to the Rams as well as picks 170 (5th round) and 249 (7th round) in exchange for pick 121, moving the Jags up nine spots. The Jags also received pick 209 in 6th round.
Smith, who originally joined the Florida Gators spent the past two years at UAB, during which time he posted 14.5 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. He joins Josh Allen and K'Lavon Chaisson as young but promising ends in the Jacksonville front.
Head Coach Urban Meyer has long lamented the need to add to the Jaguars defensive line, saying repeatedly that the team is only as good as that unit. With injuries to Allen and lack of quality depth last season, the Jaguars were one of the worst pass rushing teams in the league. Pro Football Focus rated Jacksonville 28th (out of the 32 teams) in relation to pass rushing production, noting, "Not one player on the team finished with a pressure rate above 10.0%, including 2020 first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson (9.2%)."
Smith marks the seventh player the Jaguars have drafted thus far. The others are, in order:
- No. 1, Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Clemson
- No. 25, Travis Etienne, Running back, Clemson
- No. 33, Tyson Campbell, Corner, Georgia
- No. 45, Walker Little, Offensive tackle, Stanford
- No. 65, Andre Cisco, Safety, Syracuse
- No. 106, Jay Tufele, Defensive tackle, USC
The Jaguars are back on the clock at pick 145, the first in the fifth round.
