Jacksonville Jaguars select Tyler Lacy in fourth round of 2023 NFL Draft

Former Oklahoma State defensive end Tyler Lacy has heard his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft after a productive four-year collegiate career. He was selected in the fourth round with the No. 130 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Lacy first arrived at Oklahoma State in 2018. He was part of the 2018 recruiting class, and was rated as a top 70 EDGE and three-star overall player, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Lacy contributed as a freshman in 2019, totaling 20 tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack at Oklahoma State. He then added 32 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks, in addition to one forced fumble as a sophomore.

Lacy’s junior campaign was his best all-around at Oklahoma State. In 2021, he finished with 34 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass defended. He then rounded out his collegiate career with 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as a senior in 2022.

With 11.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss in his career, Lacy has proven that he can be a valuable part of a defensive line. Now, he gets to try and prove that at the NFL level.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Tyler Lacy

After the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and ahead of the draft, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein has broken down the games of top prospects in this year’s class. When looking at Lacy, he saw a talented rusher on the interior, though he does see some areas he can improve on while making the transition to the league.

“Lacy is usually first with his hands but needs to learn to jolt opponents and control the block more consistently with them,” Zierlein said. “His block take-on can be a little bit segmented and he can be driven off his turf as a three-technique, but he has the length and athleticism to cause disruption in a one-gapping scheme.

“Lacy has talent as an interior rusher but might be better suited as a five-technique or 4-3 base end on early downs.”

When asked about an NFL comparison for Lacy, Zierlein pointed to Armon Watts. Watts is a former sixth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, and he spent the 2022 season with the Chicago Bears. He has 125 tackles with eight sacks and seven tackles for loss in his four-year NFL career.