Grade the pick: Jaguars close Round 3 of the draft with surprise Jalen Huskey pick

A roller coaster day for Jacksonville Jaguars fans ended in a peculiar spot. Safety wasn't a desperate need with Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray entrenched as the starters. However, depth was a major question mark when Caleb Ransaw was a total unknown, missing his entire rookie campaign due to a foot injury.

James Gladstone cooked up an idea in the form of Maryland's Jalen Huskey. Huskey was the final pick (No. 100) of the third round but could see playing time in Jacksonville if injuries plague the position.

This begs the question: What are the Jaguars getting in Jalen Huskey? Was there a better option on the board?

Grading the Jaguars' No. 100 selection: Maryland S Jalen Huskey

Experience, ball skills, and a good feel for zone coverage -- of which the Jags played at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL last year— are three pluses in Jalen Huskey's direction.

Huskey played all 24 games for the Maryland Terrapins since arriving on campus as a transfer in 2024. He was converted from cornerback to safety, which is a better positional fit for his limitations.

With excellent eyes that track the ball and anticipate the flow of the play, Huskey is a natural disruptor from the center field position in zone defense. He's also not totally out of his depth in the slot as a corner due to his previous experience at the position:

You don't run into seven interceptions in the Big Ten in two seasons by accident, and he's also not afraid to be that enforcer over the middle of the field, which is usually a concern for a safety converted from corner:

However, this feels extremely early for Huskey due to what are obvious physical limitations on tape. He is not a fast mover or accelerator, pigeonholing him into that strong safety role in a zone defense at the pro level. That also leaves no room for recovery for busts or miscommunications.

I had Huskey in an earlier positional top 10s at the position but opted for more athletic players instead. Every step of the way, that was ranked behind USC's Kamari Ramsey, who is just 21 years old with a full season of experience at both deep safety and nickel corner.

Additionally, Penn State's Zakee Wheatley is much more versatile in terms of coverage and has much longer arms. Kansas State's VJ Payne lit up the combine with a 4.40-second 40 and 10'7" broad jump and is a better option in nickel packages to cover tight ends.

When Huskey is on the field, the Jaguars' secondary can play one way. It's going to force the team into an extreme "bend but don't break" mentality in zone.

He is safety depth that you'd be absolutely elated to scoop up late on Day 3, but I think there were significantly more impactful options with higher upside at the position still available. I had a higher grade on Caleb Ransaw, my 99th-ranked player on the board a year ago.

Grade: C-

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