Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack cracks list featuring elite company

Not long ago, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and touched on several topics but one stood out. The former Ohio State head coach said that the Jags weren’t entirely devoid of talent last season. Even though it might have looked like he was trying to hype up the roster, he was speaking the truth. There were indeed a few playmakers in place, including linebacker Myles Jack, who recently landed on a list featuring some prominent players.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently ranked the top 10 linebackers in the NFL and Jack landed at number ten. He says he asked 50 executives, coaches, scouts, and players to weigh in on the ranking. Fowler notes that the UCLA product underachieved at linebacker but thrived once he moved to the outside with the arrival of Joe Schobert. He believes that was the best move the Jags made last season.

Fowler cites an NFC executive that thinks Jack “played like an All-Pro last year” and mentions that one AFC coach saw him more of a “listener than a commander” and said that moving to the outside was the right thing to do. Fowler also says that the 2016 second-round pick edged out Deion Jone for the last spot in the ranking because he’s nearly as fast in spite of being almost 20 pounds heavier.

Later in the article, Fowler brings up a common observation about Jack. One NFC coach said, he “would like to see him more consistent, but it is really tough to get past him”. On a side note, Schobert almost cracked the top ten. One AFC defensive coach had to say this about the 2017 Pro Bowl nod: “Good field general, great in zone coverage. Never going to be the big, physical guy”.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a keeper in linebacker Myles Jack.

Jack has never been voted to the Pro Bowl nor has been named All-Pro. Nevertheless, he has been a key cog on the Jaguars’ defense over the last five years. In that span, he’s appeared in 73 games with 67 starts and logged 405 total tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 15 passes defensed, and three interceptions. Also, he’s earned favorable Pro Football Focus grades and even made their midseason All-Pro team in 2020.

Last season, Jack posted a healthy 69.1 PFF overall grade and an even better 75.7 against the run. On the other hand, PFF analyst Sam Monson believes the Jaguars linebacker hasn’t been consistent throughout his career. On the bright side, there’s a chance the veteran has a career year. Urban Meyer talked to players when he got hired and shared a few pointers with them. He told Jack he was a bit overweight, so he took the necessary steps to fix that.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had just one winning season during Jack’s tenure with the team. He was part of the squad that reached the AFC Championship in 2017 but has also experienced plenty of lows. The team’s brass believes they have a playmaker in him. It looks like they’re not alone as the consensus thinks Jack is currently a top ten linebacker in the NFL.