Jaguars Prospect Showing Promise in 2025 NFL Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't given up on this young player, and he's starting to give strong returns on their investment.

Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone, left, and Tony Boselli, Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Vice President of football operations walk on the field before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

General Manager James Gladstone has garnered a bit of a cutthroat reputation through his young tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's built a roster that's gone 4-1 in its first five games, but he's proven that he won't be satisfied with regular-season success.

In the offseason, he cut ties with several players from the previous regime, some of whom were prized acquisitions, such as safety Darnell Savage and offensive lineman Luke Fortner. Most recently, the Jaguars traded away 2021 second-round pick Tyson Campbell to the Cleveland Browns in return for Greg Newsome II.

Clearly, Gladstone is prepared to make his own evaluations of his players, irrespective of any preconceived notions from his predecessors. That makes it all the more encouraging that Gladstone and the new front office have seen a lot of potential in Maason Smith.

Sep 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Maason Smith (94) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Maason Smith has been making an impact

Maason Smith had a pretty disappointing rookie season amid an overall poor defensive showing from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. In his first year, he played 11 games, starting five, and tallied 17 combined tackles, three sacks, and three passes defended. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of just 43.7, which is staunchly considered poor.

He's been significantly better this year, climbing to 52.8. He's been especially impressive as a pass rusher, with a 67.4 grade in that category, nearly above average for a starter. He earned his highest mark in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, having logged two assisted tackles and a batted pass for a 79.6 pass-rush grade. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile spoke on the progress he's seen from Smith, after he racked up four pressures on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs:

Maason Smith led the #Jaguars with FOUR pressures against the Kansas City #Chiefs. He’s certainly improving as a pass-rusher.

Maason Smith: Pressure %
- 2025: 10.9% 📈
- 2024: 5.8%

Maason Smith: Pass-Rush Win %
- 2025: 16.0% 📈
- 2024: 4.0% pic.twitter.com/ZARE5JEbTm

— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) October 8, 2025

"Yeah, I think Maason has improved pretty much every week. He created some pressures the other night, was really right there on one — I think in the fourth quarter — and we're close to getting [Patrick Mahomes] on the ground, certainly, a tough guy to finish on, but he's done a good job. I think his trajectory has been pretty good to this point. We've seen an uptick in production for him. And again, like everybody else, he's still got a long way to go, and he is working his [tail] off to get that done, but pleased with his effort to this point for sure.”

A big part of the Jaguars' defensive success this season has come from their ability to get pressure from multiple spots, including the interior of the line. If Maason Smith can continue rising, he'll raise the ceiling of Jacksonville's D with him.

Follow us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley to keep up with Maason Smith's rise this year.

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