Jaguars
The Jaguars used a sixth-round pick on Auburn LB Jalen McLeod because of his versatility and experience after five years at the collegiate level. Jacksonville GM James Gladstone spoke on the traits they liked with McLoed and how his Senior Bowl experience made him stand out.
“His competitiveness, his play demeanor, his urgency is phenomenal, and you take him, another who was deployed across the defensive front at Auburn, stood up off the ball,” Gladstone said, via SI.com’s John Shipley.
“When he went to the Senior Bowl, all he did was stand up off the ball when one of the best elements of who he is being moved from one spot to the next and providing a spark, being able to gain an edge, a change of pace, rushing off the edge. That was one thing that he signed up to do at the Senior Bowl and wasn’t batting an eye at the fact that, hey, I don’t get to showcase what so many would call my super power, but I’m going to do this anyway because I love this sport, and I love getting out on the grass.”
Coming from the Rams, Gladstone talked about how highly they value players who transfer to bigger schools while maintaining their production.
“Another thing here is when you think about it, right, one of the things I really value — I know Liam [Coen] does the same — but when a guy goes from a small school to a big school and you see production continue to pop, that is a meaningful element, and that’s something you can think back to guys that I’ve been a part of drafting in the past.”
“[Rams players] Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner. Think about the guys today who have gone from a small school to a big school that we just walked away with who were productive across both.”
- Jonathan Jones reports the Jaguars are hiring former Broncos GM and Rams senior personnel executive Brian Xanders to a front office role.
Texans
- ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that Texans GM Nick Caserio’s 25 draft-day trades since 2021 trail only Eagles GM Howie Roseman. Fowler cites people within Houston who characterize Caserio’s aggressiveness as trying to “maximize value” instead of making a splash deal.
- Houston notably traded to take second-round OT Aireontae Ersery. Fowler writes that some scouts believed he could’ve gone in the first round.
- One exec thinks the Texans struck gold with both second-round WR Jayden Higgins and third-round WR Jaylin Noel: “The quarterback is going to have an 8- to 10-year relationship with those two Iowa State kids (Higgins and Noel), and I think he’s going to have a great year. Higgins can play outside the numbers in press coverage and win. The way he times his jumps, makes contested catches, wins on fade balls, jumps over guys, I love him. Noel is all business.” (Mike Sando)
Titans
Titans WR Tyler Lockett said he sacrificed a lot during his final year in Seattle and is excited to be in Tennessee.
“I understand the politics of the game, I understand sometimes there are so many things you need as a receiver to work out just for you to be able to get the ball,” he said, via Around The NFL. “But there is so much more that people don’t see that teams require and that teams need, which is the leadership role, or that selfless character, or different stuff like that. Sometimes it’s not about stats, but it’s about how you build each other up. So, for me, I sacrificed a lot of stuff last year (in Seattle) for the better of the team, and I just believe that is what you want to do in order to be able to try and help the team be at its best.”
Lockett is looking to help first-round QB Cam Ward and potentially transform the franchise into a winner.
“So, coming here, I know that I can still play,” he said. “I don’t think I need to prove that to anybody. I just need to continue to build in a healthy way and not try to waste my time trying to do all this proving people wrong, because sometimes it works out for you, and sometimes it just adds extra stress.”
The post AFC Notes: Tyler Lockett, Jaguars, Texans, Titans appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.