2021 NFL Draft: Jacksonville addresses secondary with Tyson Campbell
After a solid first round of selecting two players on the offensive side of the ball, the Jacksonville Jaguars made their first selection on defense with Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell with the 33rd overall pick.
The Jaguars needed to address the concerning position need on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, they were almost last in every major defensive category.
They were 31st in points allowed per game (30.8), 31st in yards allowed per game (417.7), and 27th in passing yards allowed per game (264.4). They allowed 210 first downs through the passing game, allowed a completion percentage of 69.4% from opposing offenses, and allowed 34 passing touchdowns all season.
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The former first-round selection at cornerback in C.J. Henderson had a down year as he accounted for an overall grade of 57.9 by Pro Football Focus. The Jaguars were resilient in free agency by adding 2019 Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin via free agency.
Griffin’s presence alone isn’t enough to help their inefficient man coverage schemes as they needed more depth and talent.
Campbell is a highly efficient man coverage player but he is even better as a zone coverage player. This past season for a loaded Bulldogs secondary, Campbell accounted for 29 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and five pass deflections.
At 6-2, 185 pounds, Campbell is a tough cornerback to beat in contested coverage. This is the type of young coverage that Jacksonville needs to fix their defense in an AFC South division that is loaded with talent on the offensive side of the ball.