3 things to know about new Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t want to take the chance of Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd not being around for pick No. 33, their second pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. That led to general manager Trent Baalke trading back into Round 1. He traded picks No. 33, 106, and 180 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for pick No. 27, and the move allowed them to get their guy.

Lloyd was a stud with the Utes. In his four-year career, he racked up 256 tackles, 43 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, five picks, eight pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. In his final season, Lloyd amassed 111 tackles, 22 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, six pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

His 43 career tackles for loss landed him fourth in program history. He also helped Utah reach the Rose Bowl, where they came up just short versus Ohio State.

Here are three more things to know about Lloyd:

Lloyd can rush the passer

Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd after being selected as the twenty-seventh overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It was a head-scratching move when Baalke selected another linebacker in the third round in Wyoming’s Chad Muma because it wasn’t clear how the Jaguars would get all of their additions on the field at once. But after diving into Lloyd’s numbers on Pro Football Focus, it’s obvious he has a lot of experience as a pass rusher.

He has 325 snaps where he went after the quarterback in his career, including 165 reps last season. And looking at his alignment with Utah, he lined up as a defensive lineman 334 times with 129 of them coming last season.

So it’s possible the Jaguars can get Lloyd, Muma, outside linebacker Travon Walker and Foyesade Oluokun all on the field on third-downs. Walker’s versatility would allow him to be moved, and Lloyd could rush off the edge as an outside linebacker.

He was a safety coming out of high school

Oct 30, 2021; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) is sacked by Utah Utes linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) during the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The 247Sports composite rankings had Lloyd as a three-star prospect. He was also ranked among the 150 best safeties in the 2017 recruiting class. He played high school football at Otay Ranch in Chula Vista, California. Besides safety, Lloyd was also a receiver and a punter.

He's collected a good bit of hardware for the trophy case

December 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes Utah Utes linebacker Devin Lloyd (0) and wide receiver Britain Covey (18) raise the championship trophy following the victory against the Oregon Ducks in the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Lloyd collected some notable awards while with Utah. Of course, the biggest to him would probably be helping his team win the Pac-12 Championship, but he earned a few notable awards as an individual.

Lloyd earned the Defensive Player of the Year award for the Pac-12 in his final season, too, and was a First-team Associated Press All-American. He also was a finalist for the Butkus Award twice, which is given to the nation’s top linebacker annually.

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