With the No. 100 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Jalen Huskey, safety, Maryland.
After letting veteran Andrew “Dewey” Wingard walk in free agency, the Jags had to find someone to fill his role as a backup safety and core special teams contributor. Huskey figures to immediately challenge for that spot and attempt to carve out a rotational role in Anthony Campanile’s defense.
Defense & Fumbles Table Tackles Def Interceptions Fumbles Season Team Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Comb TFL Sk Int Yds Avg IntTD PD FR Yds FRTD FF Awards 2022* Bowling Green MAC FR CB 9 4 3 7 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2023* Bowling Green MAC SO CB 12 30 22 52 1.0 0.0 4 42 10.5 0 6 1 0 0 0 2024 Maryland Big Ten JR CB 12 21 24 45 2.5 0.0 3 37 12.3 0 1 1 0 0 0 2025 Maryland Big Ten SR DB 12 58 14 72 1.5 0.0 4 78 19.5 0 3 0 0 0 0 Career 45 113 63 176 5.0 0.0 11 157 14.3 0 10 2 0 0 0 Bowling Green (2 Yrs) 21 34 25 59 1.0 0.0 4 42 10.5 0 6 1 0 0 0 Maryland (2 Yrs) 24 79 38 117 4.0 0.0 7 115 16.4 0 4 1 0 0 0
From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
Three-year starting split-field safety with adequate size but deficient speed. Huskey piled up interceptions, showing his ball skills and instincts. However, he’s slow to accelerate from transitions and lacks quality make-up speed, so receivers can get open and stay open when he’s forced to match them.
From Dane Brugler of The Athletic:
Huskey doesn’t have top-tier speed and balance, but he has outstanding ball instincts and a feel for overlapping underneath zones. He can give an NFL team depth at strong safety.
From Stephen Marciello of Sports Info Solutions:
Huskey is a versatile, ball-hawking free safety with very good range, that can make an impact as a deep defender and an open-field tackler right away, and has the potential to be a true 3-level impact safety.
From Daniel Harms of Bleacher Report:
Jalen Huskey is the biggest sleeper at the safety position in this class. The football IQ and ball production is impressive for a safety who recently made the transition. A willing participant in the run game, he takes part in every phase with the same enthusiasm.
Jaguars fans, let us know your initial thoughts in the comments below!