The Jacksonville Jaguars double-dipped at the linebacker position Friday when they selected linebacker Chad Muma from Wyoming. They drafted Muma after taking Devin Lloyd with the 27th overall pick on Thursday.
While the selection is a confusing one, the Jags received great value with it as Muma was projected to be a second-round pick by some. However, his stock probably was hurt some due to playing for a smaller school where the competition level wasn’t the highest.
Muma will join the Jags after accumulating 267 total career tackles with 147 of them being solo tackles. In 2021, he accumulated 142 of those tackles, while also accumulating eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Like Travon Walker, Muma caught the attention of scouts at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. He put up 27 reps in the bench press and ran a 4.63 40-yard dash. These figures played a part in helping him garner a 9.79 Relative Athletic Score, which was among the best at the linebacker position.
As expected, Chad Muma put up an elite #RAS. Probably a bit disappointed in his own 40 time, even though it's still a very good one. pic.twitter.com/aDXF9n916c
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 6, 2022
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein praised Muma for keeping the proper pad level when defending in the box, in addition to his ability to explode to targets and cut off run lanes with plays made to go to the outside. Zierlein also pointed out his aggression challenging blocks, inconsistency with patience and discipline when diagnosing plays, and his lower-body build as a few cons about the former Cowboy.
If Muma is the stud he was in college, he and Lloyd will give the Jags one of the best linebacking corps in the NFL. That’s certainly something new defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell won’t complain about after coming from a Tampa team that was loaded at the position.
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