Jacksonville Jaguars trade up for Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd in 2022 NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up for Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd, who came into the night ranked as the top player at his position, with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Throughout his college career, he showed off a combination of leadership and skill in the middle of the defense.

In a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Jaguars acquired the first round selection and used it to pair Lloyd with earlier selection Travon Walker on defense.

In four seasons with the Utes before entering the NFL Draft, Devin Lloyd made 256 tackles with 43 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. He also added five interceptions and two forced fumbles with three defensive touchdowns.

A former three-star recruit in the class of 2017, he was the No. 1,631 overall player in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. The Chula Vista, California native also ranked as the No. 191 linebacker and No. 146 player in his home state after playing at Otay Ranch High School.

NFL draft analysts on Devin Lloyd

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down what Devin Lloyd can bring to the NFL in his recent scout of the linebacker’s draft profile. The analyst compared the Utah linebacker to Kansas City Chiefs standout Willie Gay, who finished 2021 with 48 tackles on the way to another playoff run.

The NFL.com scout pointed out that Lloyd provides value as an experienced player who can immediately help plug holes in the middle of an NFL defense as a rookie.

“Highly productive and highly physical, Lloyd could create interesting discussions in draft rooms as teams work through his process versus production,” wrote Zierlein. “Lloyd can be a little inconsistent with early diagnosis and fit recognition and unorthodox in how he flows to the football. … He plays with the willful demeanor of an NFL alpha linebacker and is sneaky talented as a rusher either blitzing or aligning off the edge.”