2021 NFL Draft: Grading Jacksonville Jaguars’ nine draft picks

The Jacksonville Jaguars fortified their defense with back-to-back picks.

The Jaguars waited until the third round to add safety talent. At that point of the draft, Cisco was the best safety available, so you could say they took him at the right spot. Urban Meyer told the local media after Day 2 of the draft that if you look at his sheer talent, the Syracuse product may be the best safety in the draft.

Cisco was a ballhawk for the Orange, logging 28 passes defensed and 12 interceptions in a two-year span. However, he’s dealt with injuries in the last two years and needs to be more disciplined. If he can stay healthy and works on his technique, he could compete with incumbent Josh Wilson for the starting job next to Rayshawn Jenkins.

Grade: B+

This wasn’t a good year to take a defensive tackle in the draft. Other than Christian Barmore, none had a first-round grade and even he slid to the second round, so the Jaguars made the right choice when they waited until the fourth round to take USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele.

Urban Meyer spoke highly of the former Trojan and he could end up starting or earning a considerable amount of snaps in 2021. Defensive tackle was a weak link for Jacksonville last season and even though DaVon Hamilton and Doug Costin showed flashes, the team needed to add talent to their group. Based on the round and the value the Jags got, Tufele could turn out to be one of their best picks in this draft.

Grade: A