Big Cat Country
Get to know the Jaguars’ new additions from draft weekend with our ‘3 things to know’ series
With the 2025 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to reflect on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared. Did rookie GM James Gladstone deliver a masterclass, or has he just set the Jags back five years? Truth is, we probably won’t know that for some time. But we can get to know the newest members of the team a little bit better. In the latest of our mini-series of deep dives, here are three things to know about Jalen McLeod, LB, Auburn:
One thing you will hear every time you read about Jalen McLeod is how he is small for a football player. A menace off the edge at high school, McLeod starred for Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C., racking up 60 tackles, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, four interceptions and 15 QB hurries as a senior. McLeod was a key part of a team that won back to back Interscholastic Athletic Association state 2-A championships before his time at high school came to an end. And yet despite the numbers and success, his recruiting experience was not what most would have expected; McLeod received just four offers to play football, and only two of them from FBS programs. Not one Power Five school paid him any interest.
Opting to head to App State, McLeod spent three years in Boone. By his sophomore year, he was terrorising offensive lines who couldn’t cope with his burst off the line of scrimmage. Despite not being as big as his peers, McLeod posted 41 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 6.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and eight QB hurries in 2022 - including an impressive performance against Texas A&M that saw him have two sacks. That finally got him the attention his game deserved, and another SEC team decided they could use his skillset at the highest level of college football.
McLeod continued to flourish at Auburn, revelling in the ‘Jack’ role in DJ Durkin’s scheme. Essentially an outside linebacker with significant focus on getting into the backfield, McLeod managed 57 tackles and eight sacks last season, cementing himself as one of the most dangerous defensive weapons in the conference. Clocking in at 6’2” and 241 lbs at the NFL Combine, McLeod has shown he is able to overcome any perceived physical shortcomings with speed, tenacity and playmaking ability
When he was selected 194th overall in April, Jalen McLeod became the sixth Auburn Tiger in history to be drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars. That pipeline from the Plains to Duval County ranks as the fifth-highest of any school in the Jags’ 30-year history, and the third-highest if you discount in-state programs Florida and Florida State which are obviously geographically easier to scout.
Before McLeod, the last Auburn Tiger to head to Jacksonville on draft weekend was Tank Bigsby in 2023. Prior to that, Daniel Thomas...
