2014 offseason: Telvin Smith signs
Jaguars LB Telvin Smith becomes fifth member of 2014 Jaguars draft class to sign rookie contract
JACKSONVILLE – Telvin Smith did his work first on Tuesday.
Then, he fulfilled a dream.
Smith, a rookie outside linebacker, did the first part by participating in the first day of the Jaguars 2014 organized team activities at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields, and then did the second when he signed his rookie contract with the organization shortly thereafter.
"This makes it real," Smith said with a smile moments after signing. "It's no longer a thought anymore. It's reality. This is what I'm living now. A lot of people say, 'I wish I could make it. I wish I could do this or do that.' I withstood the storm.
"I passed all the tests and I got here. It's just a dream come true."
Smith (6-feet-3, 218 pounds), a fifth-round selection from Florida State University, became the fifth player from the team's 2014 draft class to sign with the team.
"It's something you put so much time into, to reach the professional level," he said. "It feels great. It's amazing."
But while he said Tuesday was about realizing how far he had come to get to the NFL it was just as much about knowing how far he has left to go.
"Now is not the time to say, 'Oh, I made it and I did it,'" he said. "Tiger Woods says, 'When you feel like you're arrived that's when you really never arrive because how do you know when you've reached the peak.'"
The Jaguars last week signed fourth-round cornerback Aaron Colvin (Oklahoma), fifth-round defensive end Chris Smith (Arkansas), sixth-round center Luke Bowanko (Virginia) and seventh-round running back Storm Johnson (Central Florida).
Details of the contract were not released. All rookies except for first-round selections sign four-year contracts.
The signing leaves four Jaguars rookies unsigned: first-round quarterback Blake Bortles (Central Florida), second-round wide receiver Marqise Lee (Southern California), second-round wide receiver Allen Robinson (Penn State) and third-round guard Brandon Linder (Miami).
Smith, who played high school football at nearby Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes High School, played four seasons at Florida State, moving into the starting lineup as a senior. He was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a senior. "I don't know what's going to be my first purchase – I don't know all of that," he said. "I just know I want to be here a long time and I want to win championships."
