After joining Jacksonville in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 26, Jalen McLeod hopes to add an element the Jaguars largely lacked in the 2024 NFL season.

“I see myself rushing the passer,” McLeod said. “That’s what I did my whole life. I’m going to continue doing that. But if they ask me to do something else, I’m going to do it. Best believe it. I’m going to be the best person that do it.”

Jacksonville yielded the most passing yards in the NFL last season while giving up 29 touchdown passes against only six interceptions.

The Jaguars finished 28th among the NFL’s 32 teams with 32 sacks in 2024. Jacksonville’s defensive ends – Travon Walker and former Abbeville High School standout Josh Hines-Allen – combined for 18.5 sacks. No other player had more than three, and the projected starters at outside linebacker – Ventrell Miller and Foyesade Oluokun – combined for one sack in 2024.

After a 4-13 showing last season, Jacksonville cleaned house. The new coaching staff of Liam Coen includes Anthony Campanile, a first-time defensive coordinator with a background in a variety of schemes, and general manager James Gladstone targeted versatile defensive players in his first draft.

That drew Gladstone to McLeod at Pick No. 194.

“You guys can probably see this across a lot of the players that we selected, in particular on the defensive side of the ball,” Gladstone said at his post-draft press conference. “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, 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 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 he signed up to do at the Senior Bowl and wasn’t batting an eye at ‘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.’”

McLeod played outside linebacker at Appalachian State before transferring to Auburn, where he spent two seasons as the starter at buck, a hybrid defensive end/linebacker.

“The NFL is all about adapting,” McLeod said, “and that’s something I do well. It is going to take me a little time, but it’s going to be fast, though. I pick up what they put down. I pick up what anybody put down fast, so I’m going to learn. I’m going to adjust to the game speed. I’m going to adjust to everything that’s around me, and I’m going to try to make immediate impact if I could.”

McLeod recorded 25 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks for the Tigers after having 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks in three seasons at Appalachian State.

“Another thing here is when you think about it, one of the things I really value – I know Liam 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,” Gladstone said. “And that’s something you can think back to guys I’ve been a part of drafting in the past – 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.”

McLeod will start work with the Jaguars at rookie minicamp on Friday through Sunday before joining Jacksonville’s offseason program.

“He can stand up, he can get on the line of scrimmage and his urgency and competitiveness, his play demeanor is something that is captivating,” Gladstone said, “and we’re certainly looking forward to getting him out on the grass and with his new teammates here soon.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.