Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Travon Walker (44) greets linebacker Devin Lloyd (33) before the game of a preseason matchup Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars' Devin Lloyd Tops Leaderboard in Encouraging Stat

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By Andy Quach | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to improve dramatically on defense in the 2025 NFL season. Their 4-13 campaign last year left plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the football. However, the offense may have been disappointing amid a host of injuries, but the defense was just downright atrocious.

Head Coach Liam Coen and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile are looking to change that this season. To aid in that endeavor, the Jaguars have also brought in a host of new talent to raise its defensive ceiling. Additions like second-overall pick Travis Hunter Jr., free agent signee Eric Murray, and trade acquisition Khalen Saunders should help significantly.

While Jacksonville was pretty awful overall on defense, they did have some encouraging individual talent from last season. One of their best pieces was 2022 first-round pick Devin Lloyd, who's proven to be a cornerstone for the Jaguars' D in his first three years in the NFL. With a better unit around him in 2025, he could break out in a big way.

Devin Lloyd was arguably the NFL's best tackler in 2024

While the Jacksonville Jaguars struggled heavily overall on defense last season, linebacker Devin Lloyd had a promising campaign in his third year. In 2024, he totaled a team-high 113 combined tackles, including seven for a loss, five quarterback hits, two sacks, and a forced fumble.

He also helped out against opposing air attacks, logging four passes defended and an interception. Not only did he rack up the most tackles on the team, but he was incredibly efficient with his hits, too. According to Pro Football Focus, Devin Lloyd had the lowest missed-tackle percentage of any player with at least 500 snaps played last season.

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His 4.5 percent edges out high-profile defenders such as the Washington Commanders' Bobby Wagner (5.1 percent) and the Baltimore Ravens' Roquan Smith (6.9 percent). He helped lead the Jaguars to being named the 11th-best tackling team in 2024 by PFF, despite their overall disappointing defensive season.

His reliability as a tackler will be huge for Jacksonville moving forward. There's still plenty of room for him to improve as an overall defender, particularly in coverage against the pass, but it's clear that he's one of the most talented linebackers in the league when it comes to taking down opposing ball-carriers.

The Jaguars have a ton of new talent on defense to improve their standing on that side of the football in the 2025 NFL season. But one of their most impactful pieces could be a returning player in Devin Lloyd.

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This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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