Day 3 picks are rarely expected to make an impact early on. After all, there's a reason they were available at that point in the draft process. But every now and then, there's a late-round selection that is ready to be a difference-maker right away. Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus believes that will be the case for one of the players the Jacksonville Jaguars took in Round 4 of this past annual player selection meeting.
Chadwick drew up a list of Day 3 selections who could have an impact right off the bat and picked Jack Kiser, pointing out that the former Notre Dame Irish has the second-best tackle rate among linebackers that came out of the FBS since 2019.
"Kiser went in the fourth round to the Jaguars and is the best tackler in the class. His 4.9% career missed tackle rate ranked second among FBS linebackers since 2019. He is a high-IQ player who should see time in Jacksonville’s rotation while also making an impact on special teams."
Jaguars general manager Gladstone told the media that one thing that stood out about Kiser was his tackling prowess. But that's not the sole reason they drafted him. He says that the Royal Center, Indiana native caught their attention during the all-star circuit because he volunteered to line up at safety even though it could potentially hurt his stock. In other words, he went beyond what he was asked to do, and that made him an appealing prospect.
"The added exposure from the All-Star circuits, it's certainly something we leverage. I mean, getting to see him throughout the week practices, and then in the game setting, so many of the guys that are willing to do more than what the norm might be, right?" Gladstone said. "Many are tapping out before they ever get to the game. And to see somebody like Jack Kaiser opt into playing a position like safety when he is, in fact, an inside linebacker, when that could make him look worse than he would like, but was productive in that setting."
Gladstone continued, "I think back to Braden Fisk. One of the things that really resonated for us was when, during the game, the Senior Bowl, he said, 'You know what, I'm gonna go ahead and play defense on both sides, right? I'm gonna fill the gap.' Because there have been too many opt-outs. These are guys that love the game of football. regardless of if it might put them in a compromising position in the eyes of evaluators and decision-makers by playing too many snaps or playing out of position, etc. These guys love ball, and that's what we're hunting up."
In Jacksonville, Jack Kiser will join a linebacker corps that includes Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, and Ventrell Miller.
How can Jack Kiser make an impact for the Jaguars as a rookie?
Although Jack Kiser struggles in coverage and lacks top speed, he excels at stymying the run and bringing the heat, meaning that he could get playing time in early down and blitz packages. Of course, he won't have a clear path to the football field. Before he can get meaningful playing time, he'll need to move ahead of fellow linebacker Chad Muma on the depth chart.
Then, Kiser will have to compete with Ventrell Miller and Devin Lloyd for reps. Working in his favor is that there's a new regime in place, so everyone should have equal footing and a fair chance. On top of that, the team's brass didn't pick up the fifth-year option on Lloyd's rookie deal. Depending on how things unfold in the upcoming months, he could end up on the trade block, which would help Kiser move up the depth chart.
Because Jack Kiser was a Day 3 pick, expectations for him should be tempered, at least until he proves himself. That said, he's got the tool to potentially make noise early in his NFL career.