Jaguars selected USC DT Jay Tufele with the No. 106 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
A former heralded four-star recruit who ranked as the third best DT in the 2017 high school class, Tufele (6'2/305) was a 2017 All-American Bowl selection before embarking on a notable three-year career at USC. He was consistently productive if not consistently dominant. In his lone year of starting experience before opting out, Tufele recorded 42 tackles, 26 pressures, 26 stops and 4.5 sacks in 672 snaps, mostly lining up at three-tech. Tufele struggled to put together consistent pass rush moves but developed a club/rip technique that played well off his hard-charging bull rush. Tufele can get overwhelmed by double-teams but excels when shooting gaps and pursuing the ball carrier on run plays. His high motor, power and athleticism despite being undersized for a nose tackle invite comparisons to former Vikings DL Chris Hovan.
