The 2023 Offseason: Undrafted Free Agents Bring Rookie Class to 23

May 01, 2023 at 10:44 AM

John Oehser

Jaguars Senior Writer

JACKSONVILLE – The roster continues to take shape.

The Jaguars on Monday announced they had agreed to terms with 10 undrafted collegiate free agents, which along with 13 selections in this past weekend's 2023 NFL Draft gives them 23 rookies.

Rookies will participate in rookie minicamp at TIAA Bank Field the weekend of May 12-13, and the Jaguars' voluntary organized team activities begin May 22. The team's on-field offseason program runs through June, culminating with a three-day mandatory minicamp at TIAA Bank Field June 12-14.

Among the undrafted free agents: Colorado State linebacker Dequan Jackson, a Jacksonville native who played at Riverside High School.

A capsule look at the Jaguars' 10 undrafted free agents:

Jayson Ademilola (6-feet-3, 285), defensive tackle, Notre Dame. He registered 29 tackles, including five for loss, as a senior and also registered three sacks while playing in 11 of 13 games. He started 23 games his final two collegiate seasons and started 25 of 56 games played in five seasons. He had 131 collegiate tackles with 19 for loss and was a 2021 Phil Steele All-Independent selection in 2021.
DJ Coleman (6-5, 283), outside linebacker, Missouri. He played his final season at Missouri after playing at Jackson State from 2018-2021, starting in three of 12 games in 2022. He registered 37 tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks this past season and recovered a fumble. He also had 18 sacks for Jackson State, including nine in 2020.
Elijah Cooks (6-4, 215), wide receiver, San Jose State. A first-team All-Mountain West selection in 2022, he played five seasons (2019-2021) at Nevada before playing his final season at San Jose State. He caught 69 passes for a career-high 1,076 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2022 after catching 115 passes for 1,378 yards and 18 touchdowns at Nevada.
Kaleb Hayes (6-0, 195), cornerback, Brigham Young. A first-team Phil Steele All-Independent selection in 2021, he played for Brigham Young in 2021-2022 after playing for Oregon State from 2017-2020. He registered 67 tackles and 19 pass breakups for BYU the past two seasons. He had 112 career tackles.
Dequan Jackson (6-1, 255), linebacker, Colorado State. An honorable mention All-Mountain West selection in 2021-2022 and a second-team selection in 2020, Jackson attended Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverside High School. He was a second- and third-team Phil Steele All-Mountain West selection in 2020 and 2021, respectively. He registered 322 tackles in five seasons at Colorado State with 21.5 tackles for loss and was a three-time team captain.
Samuel Jackson (6-5, 330), offensive line, Central Florida. He started 45 of 66 games in six seasons at UCF, and has the ability to play guard and tackle. He was a first-team Pro Football Focus All-American Athletic Conference selection as a senior and a second-team coaches all-conference selection, playing in the Hula Bowl after the season. He was a team captain the past two seasons.
Jaray Jenkins (6-2, 200), wide receiver, Louisiana State. He started 20 of 43 games in four seasons at LSU, catching 89 passes for 1,370 yards and 14 touchdowns. He caught 27 passes for 404 yards and six touchdowns in 2022.
Oliver Martin (6-1, 200), wide receiver, Nebraska. He played his final three seasons at Nebraska after previously playing at Michigan and Iowa, joining Nebraska as a transfer walk on in 2020. He caught 25 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns from 2020-2022.
Leonard Taylor (6-5, 260), tight end, Cincinnati. He participated in the East-West Shrine Game after the 2022 season, in which he caught 18 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He started 26 of 60 career games in six seasons, finishing his career with 69 receptions for 697 yards and eight touchdowns.
Divaad Wilson (6-0. 195), cornerback, Central Florida. A second-team Phil Steele All-American Athletic Conference selection as a senior, Wilson started his career at Georgia before playing his final three seasons at Central Florida. He started 23 of 30 games played at UCF after playing in 13 games for Georgia as a redshirt freshman in 2019. He had five interceptions for UCF and one for Georgia.