GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE AND HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
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FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
BAALKE: (On why he had to wait until today to draft a cornerback) “It’s really the way the board fell; we
looked at opportunities to trade up in the second round and that didn’t go our way. Really excited about
the player we got, he [CB Jarrian Jones] was someone we targeted, we spent a lot of time with him, we
sent a couple of coaches to work him out personally in a private workout which went exceptionally well.
He’s one hundred percent cleared from the knee that he suffered two years ago. Like I’ve always said,
you follow your board and you got more than one need. We had a need at that position, and we filled it.”
BAALKE: (On how he rated the skillset of CB Jarrian Jones’ compared to other teams) “Well, I don’t know
how other people rate the players and where he was on everybody’s board. I just know he’s a good
football player. We spent a lot of time with him when he came in for the local pro day and hung out with
the coaches, stayed extra, spent a couple of hours with them and sat down with them personally. Coach
sat down with him. He’s a young guy that’s a converted wide receiver, learning the cornerback position
and he showed, through the course of the year, especially as the year went on, that he has a real knack
for it and he can play inside and outside; he’s not just a nickel. He’s 5’11” and change, it’s 190-plus
pounds. He runs 4.39, he can play outside and inside but he happened to play primarily inside there.”
PEDERSON: (On what is loved about DT Maason Smith) “6’5, 305, big guy. Again, just another player that
is explosive, can move his lateral quickness, you just watch his tape and you see him chasing some ball
carriers down. He can hold the point of attack, he’s a space eater in there, he can push the interior
pocket. He’s long obviously, and he had the injury, but I think prior to the injury, he was talked about
going possibly in one and things of that nature. I feel like we got a really good player there and looking
forward to getting both of these guys here.”
PEDERSON: (On potential of DT Maason Smith being an interior rusher) “I think there’s some things you
can develop with his athleticism and his power, just being able to push the pocket. Sometimes, you don’t
have to hit the quarterback as much as just disrupt and get him off his spot. That’s what he’s capable of
doing.”
PEDERSON: (On if DT Maason Smith can be played on the edge) “Well, not like that. We got the edge
kind of covered, but right now, we’ll keep him at one position and see where he plugs in. Look, he is
coming off the injury too, he did play so there’s going to be a little bit of growing with him as we get him
mixed in with our players.”
BAALKE: (On impact of coaching staff to draft DT Maason Smith) “Matt [Inside Linebackers Coach Matt
House] was the d-coordinator there for two years and understands him well, he spoke very highly of him,
his passion for the game and stuff. We got to realize, he’s coming off [injury] but he did play this year, as
you got to the end of the tape, he was probably 90 percent by the time the end of the year came around
and 100 percent when we went and worked him out. He’s running full speed, there’s no lingering issues.
He’s a young man that’s got to have a little more time on task, but his upside is substantial.”
BAALKE: (On what it means for DT Maason Smith to be ready and excited to play with the team) “Well, it
means a lot. You hope they have a great experience, whether we meet him here on one of the 30 visits
or the combine or wherever. You hope you represent the organization well and you hope they see that.
They see the passion that we have for this organization and the jobs that we do, and you hope they
understand that, see that, feel that and want to be a part of it.”
PEDERSON: (On DT Maason Smith joining a veteran room on the defensive line) “I think it’s huge to have
guys that have been there, done that, have battled adversity themselves through the course of their
careers. It’s a really good room, there’s some great leaders in there. He’s coming into that room and he
can just soak up all of that knowledge and just learn from those guys.”
PEDERSON: (On DT Maason Smith’s potential to be physical inside for the defense) “It’s part of it. You
definitely have to control the line of scrimmage, both sides of the ball; offensive and defensive lines. We
feel that adding Maason to that room gets us to that point where we can control the line of scrimmage.
You have to be physical, that’s a physical position anyway. A guy that is big, powerful, athletic as he is, is
just a great addition to an already good room.”
BAALKE: (On how the team identified CB Jarrian Jones and the belief of his ability) “We identified him
early on in the process. We had the scouts in there during the fall of the year, identifying him as an
upper-level prospect. Then, you go through the whole process with him. You go through the pro days
and the combine and all the things that go with it, the 30 visits. He wasn’t one of the 30 visits because
he came here on the local pro day, so we got the chance to spend a lot of time with him. You love his
energy; you’re going to feel it. We just got off a Zoom call with him; you’ll feel his energy as soon as he
gets here. He loves football. You can’t have enough of those guys. The game is hard and guys that just
like it, struggle when things get tough. When guys love it, they fight through adversity. He’s a young man
that’s had a lot of adversity in his life, will continue to fight through it and you just love his passion.”
BAALKE: (On drafting players from a new perspective with Ryan Nielsen as the Defensive Coordinator)
“Yeah, Ryan and Kris [Defensive Backs Coach Kris Richard] and Cory [Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks
Coach Cory Robinson], they’ve been a big role in the evaluation of these guys. The board fell pretty true
to what we felt it was going to fall. I never worry about the players we didn’t get. You can spend hours
and hours thinking through all the things you could’ve done, but you worry about the ones you got
because that’s the most important thing. We’re excited about these three guys that we’ve added and
we’ve got a big day tomorrow to add some more guys to this locker room.”
BAALKE: (On CB Jarrian Jones winning a leadership award at Florida State and what his off the field
accomplishments contributed to him being the third round pick) “I’ll let you all judge for yourself when
he gets here the energy that he has and the way he approaches the game. I mean, this is a ‘love it’ guy.
He’s going to bring the energy on a daily basis, and you’d rather have those guys that you’ve got to say
‘whoa’ and pull them back a little bit sometimes rather than always have to kick them in the side. He’s
one of those guys that you’re never going to have to worry about coming to work.”
BAALKE: (On DT Maason Smith’s wingspan and how much of an asset that can be as a player) “He
certainly does and to me it’s a huge advantage, especially if they use it. He’s a young man that uses it.
When I was in San Francisco we drafted [DeForest] Buckner and [Arik] Armstead, both taller interior
players. We studied Chris Jones, one of the better interior players in the league right now with that kind
of size and that kind of length. I’m not saying this guy is going to be any of those three, but he certainly
has a chance to be a very good football player. I think all those traits play to his advantage, but now
you’ve got to take advantage of them and use them.”
BAALKE: (On the early second round run on cornerbacks and if he expected it) “Well if you look
historically at the draft in the second round, there’s a run, on corners usually. When they start coming,
they come off quick. It wasn’t something that was not expected. You look at things. You try to move.
Sometimes you can move, sometimes you can’t. Houston obviously wasn’t going to trade their pick. The
board is the board, and we feel really good about the players we got and the addition of Jarrian, we feel
very strongly that he can come in and compete early on.”
BAALKE: (On if he felt the run, on corners, in the second round was unlucky) “No. Again, we had Maason
[DT Maason Smith] targeted as well. We have a need there as well. It’s not like we didn’t have any other
needs other than corner. We got another day in this draft. What do we got? Five or six picks? I don’t
know exactly what the number is, but there’s a lot of guys left on the board that can help us.”
PEDERSON: (On where he sees CB Jarrian Jones playing to start) “He’s definitely a position flex guy. I can
see him playing inside day one and he’s also a really good special teams’ player, so he’s going to give us
value there as well.”
PEDERSON: (On if there’s value at having Jones stick to one position or does he expect to move him
around) “It depends on sometimes the player too. We target a position, and we say let’s learn this
position, let’s get good at this position. As they grow and develop then you can maybe use them in
other spots. Getting him in here two weeks from now when we have our rookie minicamp, then we can
really start honing in and getting him locked into one position, plus again the special teams factor, so we
add that to him as well and let him work from there.”
PEDERSON: (On CB Jarrian Jones having a good combine performance and how much those traits
showed up on tape) “It shows up on film. He’s a good athlete, good mover, and a physical player too.
You like to see the tackling and getting after guys. As Trent mentioned, he’s a high energy guy. He’s
emotional and he’s high energy and he’s excited to get here.”
CORNERBACK JARRIAN JONES
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FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
(On how vital the local workout with the Jaguars was to getting drafted) “It was big, just being able to
pick their brain and them being able to pick my brain, just understanding what type of football players
they look for. The IQ, the character of a man they look for, just being able to talk to them, just
understand what they want. Me being a guy and the type of football I like to play, I think it lined up with
how they like to play football. I think it’s going to be a perfect fit.”
(On what was going through his mind when he got the phone call) “Man, when I saw that number pop
up I was so happy because playing for the Jaguars has been a dream of mine. Just being able to stay in
Florida and play for those guys man, it’s nothing short of a blessing.”
(On what press-man coverage means to him) “Me. I hear press-man coverage, I hear Jarrian Jones. That’s
my type of game, I like to be up in your face playing football. I’m a physical football player, instinctive
football player that loves to make plays from every position in the secondary. I just think me being able
to come in and add what I can and learn from those guys in the room, being able to add my two sense
whatever that may be and make plays. I just want to make plays.”
(On what it was like playing against LSU last season and what it’s like teaming up with two players from
that team) “It’s a blessing when I played them that first week. I knew they were good players, but I knew
I was a good player, so it was going to be a battle and we were going to make plays. So, now being on the
same team with them, being able to learn with them and craft with them throughout the week it’s a big
blessing. So, we’re going to be able to feed from each other and I definitely believe that iron sharpens
iron and that’s how we’re going to go about it every day.”
(On how it was like at his house when he got the call) “It was definitely loud, super loud, crazy loud. But
me being the type of player I am, I felt like I was best so I feel like I waited kind of long, but I’m so happy
it was the Jaguars that called. You don’t even understand, it’s been a dream of mine to play for the
Jaguars. I’m going to give it everything I got. It was definitely loud, my family they loved that I was able to
stay in Florida so that was big for them. Just being able to play for those guys, it’s a blessing.”
(On his memories of CB Jalen Ramsey and if it was a guy he idolized) “Yeah I definitely idolized Jalen, of
course coming from Florida State we kind of played in the same defense, we ran the same one that they
ran then. Definitely with him being able to have inside and outside versatility that he brings, I think I
bring that to a defense. So, being able to learn from him, pick his brain, I talked to a couple of times. Just
picking his brain about what he thinks, how he sees things, it’s been big. So, I’m going to definitely stay in
contact with him and continue to learn from him and take things from his game. I’m ready for the
challenge.”
(On why it was a lifelong dream to play for the Jags) “Growing up I was a big Maurice Jones-Drew guy, big
Maurice Jones-Drew guy. Like I was a superfan of him. I watched just about every game that he played.
When Jalen [CB Jalen Ramsey] went there from Florida State, I was tuned into every game. Him playing
inside, outside, just what he brought to the game. I kind of fell in love with the Jaguars while Jalen was
there, especially while Maurice Jones-Drew was there. Just now me being able to continue that Florida
State pipeline and come in, make plays, do what I do best, it’s a blessing man.”
(On if he has a Maurice Jones-Drew jersey) “You want to know what’s crazy? I had the t-shirt; I didn’t
have the jersey. I had the t-shirt that had MJD on the back. I was kind of one of those fanatics.”
(On if he ever met Maurice Jones-Drew) “I never met him, and I would love to meet him. I used to play
with him so much on Madden, he used to go for like 200 yards every game I played.”
(On if he has a favorite play that Maurice Jones-Drew made) “See, I don’t even have favorite plays. What
I remember is number 32, when he come through the A-gap, he’s running something over. That’s what I
remember. I remember him dropping them pads on folks. That’s what I remember. I can’t even tell you a
singular highlight because there were so many.”
DEFENSIVE TACKLE MAASON SMITH
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FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
(On what stood out about his visit with the Jaguars) “First and foremost, I’m really excited. I feel like for
me, honestly, I don’t think it could’ve ended up any beter. Not too far from home, very warm, a lot of
things that I’m very much so used to. I had a great visit with the defensive coordinator [Ryan Nielsen]
and the defensive line [Jeremy Garret] coach. I actually had a rela�onship with the defensive line coach
prior when he was at Vanderbilt University, when I was coming through high school. From the jump with
the conversa�ons that we had, it was just real. For me, I just really like to have real surrounding me, just
people that aren’t going to shy away from telling me what I need to hear instead of what I want to hear.
A lot of guys run from that and I run to it. Just being able to get that feel from them, and them also
having a lot of confidence in me and the abili�es that I bring to the game. My defensive coordinator is
also there, from this past year, Mat House [Inside Linebackers Coach]. That’s my guy, that’s been my guy
since he got to LSU. I’m just fortunate enough to be around him. My dog, BT [WR Brian Thomas Jr.],
we’re going to rock the world and we’re going to do what we got to do.”
(On if he’s fully recovered from his ACL injury) “I definitely will say this is the best I’ve felt since my knee
injury. I felt like through the Pro Day and the combine tes�ng and everything like that, people being able
to see me move, I felt like it showed that I didn’t miss a beat. It was tough for me coming back this year,
not necessarily playing the way I know I can and up to my ability. Just being able to take the coaching and
take the construc�ve cri�cism, con�nuing to progress and get beter every single week. That’s all it was
for me. With a great coach, Pete Jenkins [LSU Defensive Line Coach], he brought me along and allowed
me to get back to things, get back to doing things the right way technically wise and schema�cally wise.
At the end of it, I felt great. I think coming into this next chapter of my life, I’m going to con�nue to excel
and con�nue to grow in the right direc�on.”
(On some of the rela�onships he has with people in Jacksonville) “BT [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] is my guy,
always been my guy. Me and BT came into college together, so just ge�ng that experience with him and
I feel like he’s really comfortable around me. Me and BT got the same agent, same a lot of things. We’re
both from the state of Louisiana, so just being able to be around him is definitely going to make my
transi�on a litle bit easier knowing that I got a brother with me already. Just like I said about Coach
House [Inside Linebackers Coach Mat House], that rela�onship has always been great. He’s always
believed in me, always had the confidence in me. He used to take me out of prac�ce when I disrup�ng
the prac�ce and the offense couldn’t get anything going. The thing for me, always been about somebody
being real. He’s always kept it real with me, I love to have him in my corner again and I’m grateful for it.
I’m probably going to get on the phone with him a�er this because that’s my guy. Playing with the whole
family, his sons, his daughter, Miss Jess, they always just allowed me and showed me open arms when I
came to their home and everything. It’s just great to have those familiar faces and I’m ready to get to
work.”
(On how much of his best football is in front of him) “I think my best football is yet to come. Just
con�nuing to progress and excel, I’m a physical freak. I’m a specimen. For me, I always thought it was
consistency. When consistent coaching comes, consistent play does. I think that’s one thing that I lacked
in college, was having that consistent coaching. I know when I get into the building and get that
consistent coaching I’ve been needing and I feel like the sky is the limit. My best ball is ahead of me and I
can’t wait to reach that point.”
(On having a chip on his shoulder a�er his injury) “For one thing, I don’t regret anything. I felt like going
back to all of that, I definitely feel like ever since my injury, there has been a bigger chip on my shoulder,
just because even in the game now and even going into the dra�, I felt like a lot of people were unsure
about me. I feel like I got a lot of ques�ons about if I love ball and things of that nature. I work hard
every single day, just like anybody else. I put my cleats on the same way, put my shoulder pads on the
same way. When somebody asks you that, it kind of hits your character just because I’m a high character
kid. I put my all out on the field when I’m out there. It definitely has given me a chip on my shoulder, I
know everybody that’s one in front of me. We’re going to stack it up, we’re going to stack up the chips
on this, stack them up. At the end of the day, I’m grateful for the opportunity that I’m ge�ng to have
with this amazing franchise and the great people around it. Like I said, I’m going to con�nue to keep
progressing and keep growing and the sky is the limit.”
(On when he felt one hundred percent a�er his injury) “I had an ACL tear and meniscus. I think my rehab
was around nine months, right around there, nine, nine and a half. I got cleared some�me in the
summer in June. I never really felt the way it was supposed to feel un�l later on in the season; I felt like
later on in the season, I didn’t feel one hundred percent myself. I think I elevated my game and felt a lot
beter than I did at the beginning weeks of the year.”
(On what went through his mind when he got the call from Jacksonville) “Just excitement man, I’ve been
dreaming about this since I was six years old. Just being able to live that dream out. I told my mom, I told
her yesterday, I was like, ‘Ma, it’s different when your dreams staring at you right in the face.’ Like I said
before, when I got that call, and they said Jacksonville, my heart just dropped because I don’t think
there’s a beter situa�on for me to go to, honestly. I think that God always has a plan and I preach about
one thing uncommon favor, just s�cking to that and believing in that, that God is going to put me in the
place I need to be. He did, and I’m just grateful for this opportunity. It was definitely the best day of my
life up un�l this point.”
(On if his plan is to wear number zero in the NFL) “We’ll definitely see. I don’t know about the rules and
everything, I was hoping to go back to the old number I had in high school. Bring back the high school
me.
(On what number he wore in high school) “94, I don’t know if anybody got it, I never checked anything.
But that might be something. I want to get back to the big boy number, the single digit was cool while it
lasted, but I want to get back to a big boy number.”
(On why he has an extra A in his first name) “I wish I could get my mom in the room with me. I honestly
don’t know, I’ve asked the ques�on because I’ve goten the ques�on plenty of �mes. I think it was just
atested to my dad. So, when I was being birthed by my mother, she had a coworker that was pregnant
and she was naming her son Mason as well. My pops didn’t necessarily like the other dad. My older
brother’s name is Malcolm II, and my pops name is Malcolm. My dad told my mom that if she’s going to
name his son Mason, then you got to change it. It can’t be spelled like him. That’s where the double A
comes in, it’s very unique. I’ve never seen it in any place else. A lot of people honestly think it’s a typo
when they see it. It aint a typo, it aint a typo.”
(On if his brother Malcolm’s name is spelled normally) “Yeah, that’s just the one ‘A.’ M-a-l-c-o-l-m.”
