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 Jonah Monheim, C, USC:
Jonah Monheim may have been listed as a center when his name was called in the 7th round of April’s NFL Draft. But take one look at his college career and you will see that the offensive lineman is adept in a range of roles and positions.
During his time at USC, Monheim featured in 52 games, starting 46 of them. Of those 46 starts, only 12 of them came at center, a position he made his own in his senior year. Prior to that, Monheim was moved around the line and played where was needed, recording 18 starts at right tackle, 12 at left tackle and four at right guard. Referring to him as ‘a grand slam pick’, Monheim’s former head coach Lincoln Riley praised him for his ability to play anywhere he asked him to:
“Well, Jacksonville still just got a heck of a player. And frankly, I think he was just massively underdrafted… …the ability to start at all three levels of an offensive line - you just rarely find guys that both mentally and physically can do that at a place, especially a place like USC,”
It’s a notorious struggle for 7th round draft picks to make a roster. And when they do, it’s usually because they are able to contribute in a number of ways. Jonah Monheim is certainly able to do that.
Jonah Monheim, by all accounts, is incredibly intelligent. The first signs of this was during his recruiting as a three-star prospect out of Moorpark High School; Monheim received thirty scholarship offers, with many of them coming from some of the most revered academic institutions in the country. Ivy League schools Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia all tried to lure him from California, whilst in-state schools Stanford and Cal both wanted him - not just for his football ability, but because he met their high academic eligibility requirements.
Enrolling with the Trojans in 2020, Monheim was a model student for his entire time at USC. He earned a placement on the PAc-12 Academic Honor Roll three years running until the program departed for the Big Ten, and in the spring of 2024, he was recognized as a David X. Marks Scholar - an award given for graduating with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and having a GPA in the top 10% of his team. He earned his...
