Jaguars Prospect Showing Promise in 2025 NFL Season

Maason Smith has been making an impact

Maason Smith had a pretty disappointing rookie season amid an overall poor defensive showing from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. In his first year, he played 11 games, starting five, and tallied 17 combined tackles, three sacks, and three passes defended. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of just 43.7, which is staunchly considered poor.

He's been significantly better this year, climbing to 52.8. He's been especially impressive as a pass rusher, with a 67.4 grade in that category, nearly above average for a starter. He earned his highest mark in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, having logged two assisted tackles and a batted pass for a 79.6 pass-rush grade. Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile spoke on the progress he's seen from Smith, after he racked up four pressures on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs:

"Yeah, I think Maason has improved pretty much every week. He created some pressures the other night, was really right there on one — I think in the fourth quarter — and we're close to getting [Patrick Mahomes] on the ground, certainly, a tough guy to finish on, but he's done a good job. I think his trajectory has been pretty good to this point. We've seen an uptick in production for him. And again, like everybody else, he's still got a long way to go, and he is working his [tail] off to get that done, but pleased with his effort to this point for sure.”

A big part of the Jaguars' defensive success this season has come from their ability to get pressure from multiple spots, including the interior of the line. If Maason Smith can continue rising, he'll raise the ceiling of Jacksonville's D with him.