Jaguars' Late-Round Addition May Soon Prove Valuable

The Jacksonville Jaguars made arguably the boldest move of any team at the NFL Draft, trading up for Travis Hunter. While the addition of Hunter will rightfully garne most of the attention, the Jaguars added multiple other talented players as well.

Gladstone elaborated on why the Jaguars selected linebacker Jalen McLeod in the sixth round at the team's post-draft press conference.

“I think you guys can probably see this across a lot of the players that we selected, in particular on the defensive side of the ball, but the versatility. That's something that really stands out for us, and obviously we speak about being intangibly rich. 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.

"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."

Gladstone also noted that McLeod's jump from Appalachian State to Auburn did not change his production. McLeod continued to be successful even after playing against stiffer competition. He is a player who could soon prove valuable to the Jaguars.

"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," Gladstone said.