Jacksonville Jaguars draft: Is safety Andre Cisco worth a Day 2 pick?

The Jacksonville Jaguars need to upgrade their back end this offseason and there are different approaches they can take to do so. If they want to use a Day 2 draft pick to bolster their secondary, they should consider taking Syracuse safety Andre Cisco.

A three-star recruit out of High School in 2018, Cisco quickly established himself as a ballhawk in the Orange secondary, logging a whopping 12 interceptions, 14 passes defensed and two forced fumbles during his freshman and sophomore campaign. In 2020, the New York native seemed poised to continue his streak of playmaking prowess but tore his ACL during warmups ahead of Syracuse’s third game of the year and finished the season with 11 total tackles and one interception.

When watching Cisco play, the first thing that stands out is his ability to make plays on the ball. Even though he’s not an elite athlete, he’s fast enough to cover enough ground in the back end and has the prototypical body frame the safety position needs at the NFL level.

On the other hand, Cisco’s got a penchant for biting on double moves and needs to work on taking better angles and his tackling skills. Moreover, teams interested in using a draft pick on him will probably want to see how his ACL is coming along. Every player is different and while some can recover without any setbacks, others don’t and it’s fair to wonder in which category Cisco falls.

Can the Jacksonville Jaguars work with Andre Cisco?

If the Jaguars want to use a second-round pick (they have two this year) on a safety, they will have options, all of them with different skill sets. While Oregon’s Jevon Holland can do everything well but doesn’t stand out in any area, and UCF’s Richie Grant is sound in pass coverage, Cisco’s ballhawks skills may convince the Jaguars’ brass to invest a second-round selection on him.

Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen and the defensive coaching staff need to decide if they can help Cisco play with more discipline and work on his play recognition. Moreover, their medical staff has to make sure his ACL is good to go and give him the green light.

If the Jaguars aren’t interested in signing a safety in the open market such as Marcus Williams and they think the first round is too early to draft a safety, they should definitely consider using a Day 2 selection on Cisco.