With rookie minicamp taking place this weekend for the Jacksonville Jaguars, what are five things we should have our eyes on?
Participating in rookie minicamp will be the Jaguars‘ nine draft picks, their 22 undrafted rookie signings, along with one tryout candidate and two non-rookie participants.
For the Jaguars’ draft picks and UDFAs, rookie minicamp provides them with the opportunity to begin acclimating to their new team and the NFL level before the second-year players and veterans return for OTAs. For most, this will be their first time in the facility, and the process of learning the playbook and laying the foundation for what’s ahead will begin.
The Jaguars did announce earlier this week that Saturday’s practice will be open to the public.
As always, there will be plenty to monitor, but here are the three big things on my radar, along with two quick notes.
Any defensive snaps for Jaguars first-round pick Travis Hunter?
It’s been reported, and as both GM James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen have acknowledged, Travis Hunter will be onboarded on the offensive side of the football. From there, as he gets acclimated, they will put more cornerback responsibilities on his plate. Does this mean only receiver snaps early on for Hunter, or that’s where the majority of his snaps will come from?
This is obviously a unique situation, and while the Jaguars have a plan in place for how they will go about maximizing Hunter’s abilities on both sides of the ball, as Coen has said, the organization will have to remain “fluid” and quick to adjust as needed.
“We’ve had those conversations, and we have to be fluid,” Coen said, via Colorado on SI. “From a scheduling standpoint, we have it all laid out, but we also have to have the ability to be agile and be fluid on specific days. If we feel like he didn’t get enough work on one side of the ball the previous day, then we need to be able to move forward and get him those reps the next day.”
As I’ve said previously, my guess this season is that the majority of Hunter’s snaps come on offense, while defensively, he sees the field during obvious passing downs where his ball skills can be on display and that can also help reduce some of the wear-and-tear over a long season by not being on the field for as many running plays.
Bhayshul Tuten’s speed
Of all the running backs at the NFL combine, Tuten was the fastest, running a lightning-quick 4.32-second 40. As you can imagine, that speed resulted in quite a few big plays for the Virginia Tech offense.
Last season, Tuten averaged a whopping 6.3 yards per rush and was difficult to bring down with that speed, ranking 13th in average yards after contact and 16th in missed tackles forced, according to PFF.
“We were jacked to be able to be in that position to prioritize him (Tuten) because at the end of the day we want to level up the competition across the entirety of the roster, and running back is a spot that we’re going to lean on,” Gladstone said via Jaguars on SI.
Caleb Ransaw’s versatility
At the college level, the bulk of Ransaw’s defensive snaps did come from the nickel. However, he also has experience as a box defender and even lining up as an outside cornerback.
That versatility is one of the aspects of Ransaw’s game that GM James Gladstone took notice of. He also brings a lot of speed to the defensive backfield, and has been a very reliable tackler.
Right away, Ransaw could compete for the starting strong safety role next to Eric Murray, and in Anthony Campanile’s malleable defensive scheme, Ransaw’s versatility and speed could result in a number of different ways that he could be utilized.
“One of the things that really jumps out more than anything is the versatility,” Gladstone said of Ransaw via Jaguars on SI. “As we look at that defensive back room, obviously the capacity to play corner, play safety, he showcased the post work at the All-Star Circuit that really jumped out. Obviously, if you were to ever look at his stat page, what stands out is his tackle ratio. The root word of the position safety is safe, and he’s somebody that can make sure that when there is someone who gets loose, he can get them down.”
Other quick notes
LeQuint Allen in the passing game: The running back position is going to play an important role in the passing game in Liam Coen’s offense, and Allen joins the Jaguars after playing a relatively big role through the air with Syracuse. He finished 2024 with 78 targets and caught 64 of those passes for 529 yards with four scores. Allen also has experience lining up in the slot and was featured at times as well.
Undrafted rookies: It’s always going to be an uphill battle for undrafted rookies to make the final roster, but with a new GM and head coach, many of the current players on the roster aren’t “their guys,” so to speak. So if there is a UDFA who better fits the scheme and style of play this new Jaguars team is looking for, there’s going to be an opportunity to make the team.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jacksonville Jaguars’ rookie minicamp: 5 Things to watch