JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars moved to defense early Friday.
They moved there with an eye on the defensive front, selecting a strong interior player with their first selection of Day 2.
Maason Smith, a defensive tackle from Louisiana State University, on Friday night was selected by the Jaguars No. 48 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft – the 16th selection of Round 2.
Smith (6-feet-6, 315 pounds), who entered the draft as a redshirt sophomore, started two full seasons at LSU. He was a freshman All-America selection in 2021 before missing all but one game in his 2022 sophomore season with a knee injury.
He registered 28 tackles 4.5 for loss, in 2023 with 2.5 sacks and two pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He started 17 of 22 games played for his career.
He had 47 career tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Smith became the seventh player selected by the Jaguars in the NFL Draft, with the Jaguars selecting LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in Round 1 Thursday.
The Jaguars hold seven more selections in the '24 draft: Round 3 (No. 96 overall), Round 4 (No. 114 overall), Round 4 (No. 116 overall), Round 5 (No. 153 overall), Round 5 (No. 167 overall), Round 6 (No. 212 overall) and Round 7 (No. 236 overall).
They selected Thomas with the No. 23 overall selection of Round 1 Friday.
