3 winners, and 2 losers from Jaguars on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft
Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books. Now, the Jacksonville Jaguars are gearing up for the last four rounds. So far, they've had a productive haul, but they must continue to load up on talent if they want to have a legitimate shot to compete for the AFC South title next season.
After drafting LSU Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round, the Jags bolstered the defensive tackle and cornerback positions, arguably their two biggest remaining needs, on Day 2. First, they chose LSU defensive tackle Masson Smith and later Jarrian Jones near the end of Round 3.
Both Smith and Jones have the talent to compete for featured roles down the road, but it's too early to tell just what kind of impact they'll have early on. That said, their arrival will benefit a handful of players and coaches but affect others. This begs the question, who are the biggest winners and losers from the Jags on Day 2 of the draft? Here are a few that come to mind.
Jaguars Winner No. 3: Defensive backs coach Kris Richard
Defensive backs coach Kris Richard joined the Jaguars' coaching staff after the end of 2023. He won't have a shortage of players to work with, and he just got another one in cornerback Jarrian Jones.
Even though Jones was projected to go on Day 3 by different analysts and outlets, general manager Trent Baalke had praise for him, noting that he's yet to reach his ceiling.
"I don't know how other people rate the players, where he was on everybody's board. I know he's a good football player. We spent a lot of time with him when he came in for the local pro day and hung out with the coaches," Baalke said about scouting Jarrian Jones. "He stayed there stayed extra. spent a couple hours with them, and sat down with him personally, Coach, I know, sat down with him. He's a young guy that converted wide receiver learning the cornerback position."
"He showed, through the course of the year, especially as the year went on, that he has a real knack for and he can play inside and outside. He's not just a nickel. He's five he's 511 and change. He's 190 plus pounds. He runs a 4.39 [40-yard dash]. He can play outside and inside but he happened to play primarily inside there," Baalke said.
As Baalke noted, Jones has the tools to develop into a steady contributor. It will be up to Richard to get the most out of him, but based on his track record, he shouldn't have any trouble.