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.
Jaguars Loser No. 2: GM Trent Baalke
General manager Trent Baalke did a good job of maneuvering Day 1 of the draft, managing to land Brian Thomas Jr. while getting three extra draft picks. However, he wasn't nearly as successful in the second round.
Baalke tried to move up but wasn't able to find a favorable deal. Had he pulled it off, he might've targeted Cooper DeJean or Kool-Aid McKinstry. Unfortunately, he came empty-handed. The silver lining is that defensive tackle Maason Smith fell to them at No. 48 but they would've surely loved to select a cornerback earlier in Round 2.
"It's the way the board fell. We looked at opportunities to trade up in the second round and that didn't go our way. We're really excited about the player we got," Baalke said about Maason Smith during the media availability session on Day 2. "He was someone that we had targeted. We spent a lot of time with him."
"We sent a couple of coaches to work him out personally on the private workout, which went exceptionally well. He's 100 percent clear from the knee that he suffered two years ago. Like I've always said, you follow your board, you got more than one need, we had a need at that position and we filled it," Baalke said.
You could argue that things ultimately played out favorably for the Jaguars, but that doesn't take away Baalke's failure to trade up and acquire one of the top cornerbacks in the draft.
Jaguars Winner No. 2: DC Ryan Nielsen
After adding yet another weapon to Trevor Lawrence's arsenal in Round 1, the team's brass turned their attention to the defensive side of the ball and got defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen a pair of intriguing pieces to work with. This is huge because he'll be installing a new scheme and both players have the traits to thrive in them.
Nielsen is in his first season in Jacksonville. Maason Smith and Jarrrian Jones won't probably get a big workload early on but Nielsen will have to chance to mold them and get the most out of both.
Jaguars Loser No. 1: Tyler Lacy
Nobody expected Tyler Lacy to become a Hall-of-Fame player when the Jags drafted him in the fourth round of last year's draft. However, he may have a steep hill to climb to make the 53-man roster in 2024.
Lacy got minimal playing time last season but that's not particularly surprising. After all, many rookies struggle with the adjustment to the pros. Once they feel more comfortable, they begin to make strides. That could very well be the case for the former Oklahoma State Cowboy but there's an equal chance he gets buried on the depth chart after the arrival of Maason Smith.
Arik Armstead and Davon Hamilton will tentatively start for the Jaguars inside and Roy Robertson-Harris will be No. 3 in the rotation. Smith should get a handful of snaps every game. The same is true for Adam Gotsis, which could make Lacy expendable.
Lacy could ultimately compete with Smith for reps in training camp, but he won't have a roster spot guaranteed. Nobody will bat an eye if the sophomore defensive tackle ends in the practice squad.
Jaguars Winner No. 1: Tyson Campbell
Tyson Campbell will have a steep hill to climb in 2024. After a highly productive 2022, injuries held him back last year. That wouldn't normally be an issue but besides getting back to 100 percent, he'll have to prove that he's a good fit in Ryan Nielsen's press-heavy scheme.
There's a chance Campbell will bounce back, but if the Jaguars had prioritized taking a cornerback as early as possible, it might've sent the message that they don't think he'll pull it off.
Jarrian Jones could end up earning a starting role but head coach Doug Pederson told the media that he envisions him playing nickel and special teams early in his rookie season. That should bode well for Campbell, as he won't have to worry about competing for his job and will instead be able to focus on playing to the best of his capacity in Ryan Nielsen's defense.