Senior Bowl Interview Tracker: Which Prospects Have Spoken With the Jaguars Thus Far?
MOBILE, Ala. — The Reese's Senior Bowl is a heaven-sent scenario for NFL teams. For an entire week, they are in the same proximity as the top senior draft prospects in the entire nation.
Coaches, scouts, and front office executives get to see how players take coaching during practice, what their daily habits are, how they interview, and more. And for many evaluators, it's the first live exposure to the players they are going to have the chance to acquire from April.
So with that in mind, it goes without saying that teams meet with a majority of players during the week. But context is important. Which players meet with a team several times? Who with the team did they meet with? Did the meeting go well?
As JaguarReport has been in Mobile for the week of practices, we've asked a few players at positions of need if they've met with the Jaguars or not. Along with this, we've also kept a close eye out for which members of the Jaguars organization are in Mobile, and who they may be speaking with. Here is a compilation of the results of some of those conversations and observations, as well as if what it could mean -- if it means anything at all,
Utah LB Francis Bernard
A top Pac-12 linebacker last season, Francis Bernard told JaguarReport on Tuesday that he has "met with the Jaguars twice already." Bernard also told us that he already had a third meeting with the Jaguars lined up this week -- either with head coach Doug Marrone or linebackers coach Mark Collins. Bernard said he has experience at both Mike and Will and played in a 4-3 scheme at Utah in 2019, so it makes sense for the Jaguars to have interest in Bernard. Meeting with Bernard multiple times is telling, indicating the Jaguars have significant interest in the instinctive and physical linebacker.
Arizona State WR Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk isn't participating in practices this week due to an injury, but he is still in Mobile for media availability and to speak with teams. We spotted a Jaguars scout having a sit-down conversation with Aiyuk on Tuesday. This could mean nothing since scouts meet with so many players, but it is still worth noting whenever a member of an organization takes the time out of his busy time in Mobile to speak with a player.
Florida WR Van Jefferson
Van Jefferson met with Jaguars scouts early on in the week, speaking with the team on Monday afternoon. Considering the fact this is when players started rolling into town, there is a chance Jefferson was one of the first players Jacksonville sought out to talk to.
Utah DT Leki Fotu
A mammoth of a man at 6-foot-5, 335-pounds, Fotu said Tuesday he hadn't spoken with the Jaguars yet but hoped to before the week ended. It is early in the week, so it could easily change.
Washington OL Nick Harris
Washington's starting center in 2019, Nick Harris is a physical and thickly-built interior lineman. We spoke with Harris after practice Wednesday and he said he had a conversation with a few different members of the Jaguars' organization, one in which he said he enjoyed.
Notre Dame CB Troy Pride Jr.
One of the most engaging players we have spoken with this week, Pride told us he has spoken with the Jaguars twice this week. A competitive corner with blazing speed, Pride makes a ton of sense for Jacksonville as both a player and locker room presence.
Cal LB Evan Weaver
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, we saw Jaguars scouts speaking with Weaver after practice on Wednesday. He is a tackling machine and had a great day of practice on day two. He is a stereotypical middle linebacker and makes sense for the Jaguars' need for a man in the middle of their 4-3 scheme.
North Carolina State DT Larrell Murchison
A disruptive interior force during Wednesday's practice, Murchison told us Wednesday he had met with the Jaguars twice during the week thus far. Jacksonville has a big need at defensive tackle and could honestly use more than one pick on the position.
Penn State LB Cameron Brown
A tall, lanky linebacker who has played all three positions -- as well as edge rusher -- in Mobile, Brown told us Tuesday he had not yet met with the Jaguars. As we have mentioned, this could of course change as the week progresses until game day on Saturday.
FAU TE Harrison Bryant
A talented pass-catcher and the Mackey Award winner in 2019, Harrison Bryant said on Tuesday he had a conversation with the Jaguars. Jacksonville has a big need at tight end, but Bryant could end up becoming a top-50 pick.
Florida DE/OLB Jonathan Greenard
A talented pass-rusher who has been used as a movable chess piece by the South squad this week, Greenard told us Tuesday he hadn't yet met with the Jaguars yet but he noted the Florida pipeline Jacksonville has had in recent drafts (Taven Bryan, Jawaan Taylor), and said he hoped to meet with them eventually.
Kentucky OG Logan Stenberg
A mauling guard who thrives off his physicality, Stenberg told us he had met with the Jaguars this week and the meeting went well. For a team who likes to run the ball downhill, Stenberg is a solid fit.
Ole Miss DT Benito Jones
A dancing bear as a nose tackle, Benito Jones told us Tuesday he had met with the Jaguars "a few times". A rare nose tackle who is capable of creating pressure up the middle, Jones is a clear fit for a Jaguars team that needs to find more bodies up the middle.
LSU OG Damien Lewis
A physical run-blocker, Damien Lewis played a big part in LSU's championship run in 2019. He told us Wednesday he hadn't met with the Jaguars this week, but he said they were a team he was anticipating speaking with at some point.
Vanderbilt TE Jared Pinkney
A huge tight end at 6-foot-4 and 260-pounds, Pinkney had a rough day of practice on Tuesday and admitted to us he felt some rust on the field, but he also said he had a really positive conversation with a Jaguars' scout early in the week.
South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw
Probably the best player in Mobile, Javon Kinlaw told Demetrius Harvey of BigCatCountry.com on Tuesday that he had not yet met with the Jaguars. This should be expected to change considering his status as a likely top pick.
San Diego State OL Keith Ismael
A versatile offensive lineman with experience at center and each guard spots, Ismael told us Tuesday he hadn't met with the Jaguars this week.
Tennessee DE Darrell Taylor Jr.
A productive SEC pass-rusher with a lanky frame, Darrell Taylor told us Wednesday he had not met with the Jaguars yet this week.
Other observations
- Jaguars' general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone were each in attendance for the first two days of practice.
- Jaguars' front office member John Idzik was seen walking around after North practice on Wednesday and speaking with a number of players, specifically a few running backs. It is interesting for Idzik to be in Mobile and taking part of the scouting process since the perception of some is that he is strictly a salary cap consultant.
