If the Jacksonville Jaguars are to register a respectable win total, they are going to need a big push from their 2021 draft class. Of course, the first player who comes to mind from the class is Trevor Lawrence, who will have to lead the way, but others from the class need to make positive contributions, too.
One player from the 2022 class who should be set to do that is safety Andre Cisco, who the team took with the top pick of the third round in 2021’s draft. While the team didn’t get him on the field as a starter until the end of the season, he showed promise in the three games he started, and could be a big-time contributor now that he has the experience to lean on.
While in college at Syracuse, Cisco was a ball-hawk player who was able to accumulate 12 picks between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He’s hoping to bring the same ability to the Jags’ defense, and if he does, it would be huge for a team that only registered seven interceptions last season.
Cisco’s playmaking ability is exactly why Pro Football Focus named him the Jags’ X-factor for 2022 in their roster rankings, which had Jacksonville’s overall roster ranked 28th.
Safety Andre Cisco‘s first start last season didn’t come until Week 16, but he had several strong showings in those final three games of the 2021 season. Cisco’s range and playmaking ability were his biggest strengths coming out of Syracuse, though his aggressiveness puts him in bad positions at times. The Jaguars’ defense could make use of his tools in a starting role next to Rayshawn Jenkins this season.
When a team is picking from the top of the draft order, it allows them to load up on players who can make an immediate impact, and Cisco fits that description. Some felt he should’ve been a second-round pick, but maybe they were hesitant to snag him as he was coming off an ACL tear in 2020.
Cisco showed why he was a hyped prospect in the draft when given the opportunity, registering a PFF grade of 82.7 (Week 16) and 79.5 (Week 18) in two of the three weeks he was a starter. That momentum appears to have transferred into organized team activities where coach Doug Pederson praised his communication skills in the backfield.
The Jags’ passing defense ranked 16th last season, but many are expecting them to improve in 2022. If Cisco takes the step many are projecting, the Jaguars’ secondary could make some noise and help the overall defense inch closer to top-10 status.
