Jaguars Wrap Up Draft Class Contracts, Sign Etienne, Campbell and Little
The Jacksonville Jaguars have wrapped up each of their rookie contracts, officially finalizing the additions of running back Travis Etienne, cornerback Tyson Campbell and offensive tackle Walker Little on Tuesday.
The Jaguars announced each of the three rookies signed their deals Tuesday, meaning the Jaguars' entire 2020 NFL Draft class would be under contract as the Jaguars' rookies reported for training camp Tuesday.
Etienne led Clemson in rushing as a true freshman, carrying the ball 107 times for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns while earning Third-Team All-Conference honors. He took his game to another level when Clemson won the National Championship in 2018, rushing for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns and catching another two touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns set a conference record and earned him ACC Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, and First-Team All-Conference.
Etienne repeated as First-Team All-American and All-Conference and as ACC Player of the Year in 2019 when he rushed for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns. He then ended his Clemson career with another year in which he led the ACC in rushing and was named to multiple First-Teams, rushing for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 48 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns as a senior.
"Travis [Etienne], of course, is a big play waiting to happen. He’s got the electric speed, he’s got the finishing speed, we know what he is as a runner, he’s amazing in space," Jaguars passing game coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said in June.
"And now it’s been kind of fun to try to take him and teach him some of the nuisances that go into the passing game because all we’re doing by doing that is adding value for him. And again, there’s been growth, we just had a great session outside, he was unbelievable with some of the things we were asking him to do in the passing game. As a coach, that gets you excited."
A former five-star cornerback prospect out of high school, the Jaguars made Campbell the first selection of the draft's second round at No. 33 overall, with the Jaguars marveling at his versatility and physical tools.
"I’ve known Tyson since his sophomore year in high school, state champ in Florida. He was [Patrick] Surtain’s teammate, wonderful family, played safety, very good tackler when you watch him blitz. He’s a versatile defensive back so when you look at our corners and Tyson, you’ve got these long, six-foot-plus guys that run a 4.4 [40-yard dash] and he’s physical," Urban Meyer said following Campbell's selection.
"The flexibility that he will provide — he didn’t play a lot of inside for Georgia, but he was a safety in high school, and like I said I’ve known him a long time. I actually heard on television and we agreed with the assessment on television that he’s so confident in his speed he’s never out of control. We love that guy on film.”
As a true freshman in 2018, he accumulated 45 tackles, one pass breakup in 14 appearances, starting 11 games for the Bulldogs. As a sophomore, staring nine games (missing five due to turf toe), Campbell finished with 15 tackles and four pass breakups.
Then as a junior, in a pandemic shortened, All-SEC season, Campbell led the Bulldogs with five pass breakups, along with 29 tackles, 2.5 for loss and one interception.
Little is a former star five-star recruit who was the first true freshman to start for Stanford at left tackle since 2000. He started six games in 2017, earning Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Freshman Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Little started 12 games in 2018 and was a rising prospect before injuries derailed his college career. An injury in the 2019 season opener forced him to miss the entire year, and he then opted out of the 2020 season.
The Jaguars drafted Little at No. 45 overall and the rookie left tackle has garnered rave reviews from Meyer and offensive line coach George Warhop to this point.
"I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had multiple tackles drafted in the first or second round and [Walker Little] came in as prepared or more prepared than any of those guys; in terms of movement skills, in terms of intellect, in terms of communication," Warhop said in June.
"We ask guys to do things differently than they do in college, so there’s a learning curve there. But in terms of how he came in, the fact that he didn’t play for two years, you really couldn’t notice that.”
