Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd couldn’t be a more perfect fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars after he yelled “DUUUVAAALL” Thursday night when the team selected him with pick No. 27. After the celebration was over, he met with the local Jacksonville media virtually where he emphasized how excited he was and that he is ready to get to work.
One of the first questions Lloyd was asked was about whether he feels he is someone that can come in and immediately start.
“Well, personally you have to go in and earn the spot,” Lloyd said. “You have to earn the trust of everyone around you, the players, coaches, ownership. You have to earn everything you have. But for me and my confidence, if you’re asking me personally, yes, I see myself as a plug and play.
“I want to come in and help immediately, handle myself like a pro, earn everything, and I mean, really go out and win. Do everything I can to be a winner, champion.”
General manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson believe Lloyd is capable of contributing immediately. The Jaguars need a linebacker it can pair with their new free agent Foyesade Oluokun after it released Myles Jack earlier this offseason.
Lloyd should be an excellent candidate to replace Jack. With the Utes, he racked up 111 tackles, 22 of them for a loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in his senior season.
Similar to Jacksonville’s pick at No. 1 overall in Georgia defensive end Travon Walker, the franchise envisions Lloyd as someone who can do a little bit of everything. He said he believes he is the most versatile linebacker in this year’s class.
“Yeah, definitely, being able to do everything at a high level that you could ask a linebacker to do, cover tight ends, running backs, play zone coverage, play the run, rush the passer, doing all those things I feel like I’m the most complete when it comes to doing all those things at a high level and I’m only going to continue to get better,” Lloyd said. “I feel like my ceiling is really high, and I can’t wait to get out with my coaches, my coaches in the NFL and really just perfect my craft really.”
If Walker and Lloyd can live up to their potential, the Jaguars’ front seven should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. A perfect example of this is how the Jags built their defense under Dave Caldwell, who acquired two important players in Jack and Yannick Ngakoue in the same draft.
