The Jacksonville Jaguars signed a pair of rookies to contracts today in running back De'Leon Eskridge and defensive end J.D. Griggs, the club announced. Eskridge and Griggs were with the Jaguars during the rookie minicamp last weekend on a tryout basis. Third-year linebacker Greg Jones and second-year running back Richard Murphy were waived from the roster.
Eskridge, 5-11, 215, played three seasons at Minnesota before transferring to San Jose State for his senior season. He played in all 13 games at San Jose State in 2012 and led the team with 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns on 217 carries while catching 28 passes for 156 yards. During his time with the Gophers, he rushed for 1,670 yards and 17 touchdowns on 451 carries. The San Francisco native attended Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif., where he finished with 37 career touchdowns and 2,293 rushing yards.
Griggs, 6-5, 244, was a two-year letterman at Akron after transferring from Nassau (N.Y.) Community College. He started all 12 games for the Zips in 2012 and totaled 41 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and six sacks. As a junior, he registered 28 tackles and five tackles for loss. In his one season at Nassau, he totaled 18 tackles for loss and eight sacks while being named the No. 4 JUCO player in the nation. He was a teammate of the Jaguars' 2013 third-round pick Dwayne Gratz at Piscataway High School in New Jersey, where the duo led the team to a 11-1 record and second in the state in their final season. Griggs' brother, Malcolm, plays football at New Hampshire.
