JAGUARS SIGN ROOKIES TYSON CAMPBELL, WALKER LITTLE

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars wrapped up their rookie class on Tuesday. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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The Jaguars rounded out their 2021 draft class on Tuesday, signing both of their second-round picks, cornerback Tyson Campbell and offensive tackle Walker Little.

As reported by Ian Rapoport on Monday, the team also officially signed first-round pick Travis Etienne. 

With all of their draft picks under contract, the Jaguars will have full rookie attendance for the start of training camp, which also begins on Tuesday. Veterans won't report to Jags camp until July 27th, but rookies will use this time to get acclimated before the older kids arrive. 

Campbell, who Urban Meyer unsuccessfully recruited while at Ohio State, attended the University of Georgia, where he played in 31 games. The Jaguars selected him with the 33rd overall pick.Campbell had modest ball production in college but has speed to burn, running in the mid 4.3s and brings impressive length to the cornerback room. 

Campbell suffered a minor injury to his hamstring on the first day of minicamp but should be ready to go for the start of training camp. 

"The thing Tyson Campbell gave is flexibility at something other — he was a safety in high school and he's a very physical player, great blitzer," said head coach Urban Meyer. "Those are all qualities of the nickel. They're very hard to find. I go back to Florida days, a Will Hill or an Ahmad Black, but they're hard to find, the guys that can go inside and outside, and that's the reason when we saw him sitting there — I didn't know he'd make it there — we were worried he'd be gone before then."

Campbell figures to be the third or fourth cornerback in the Jaguars' rotation, depending on his health and how quickly he acclimates to his new defensive system in training camp. 

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Walker Little, the Jaguars' second second-round pick (the 45th overall pick), hasn't played a snap since week one of the 2019 season when he tore his ACL. He was healthy in 2020 but opted out due to COVID. Questions about his health and the length of time since he's played led some draft pundits, including myself, to struggle with Little's valuation. But the Jaguars have loved what they've seen from the 6'7", 309-pound offensive tackle from Stanford. 

"I'm going to be completely honest with you," offensive line coach George Warhop shared. "I've had multiple tackles drafted in the first or second round and [Walker Little] came in as prepared or more prepared than any of those guys; in terms of movement skills, in terms of intellect, in terms of communication. We ask guys to do things differently than they do in college, so there's a learning curve there. But in terms of how he came in, the fact that he didn't play for two years, you really couldn't notice that."

Little isn't in line for a starting job early on. Cam Robinson, the Jaguars' starter at left tackle, is playing on the franchise tag in 2021 while starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor is entering a pivotal third season as a pro. However, should either go down with injuries or struggle to perform, Little would likely enter the lineup. 

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