JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Meet Devin Lloyd. The Jacksonville Jaguars traded three picks selecting him No. 27 overall in the NFL draft on Thursday.
The Utah linebacker addressed the media for the first time Saturday as a Jacksonville Jaguar. Lloyd earned AP All-American honors and was the Pac-12 DPOY.
"I wasn't really expecting a call, but as soon as I saw it I was ecstatic I was like oh my god all the emotions hitting you and you knew at that point that you were home," Lloyd said.
Head coach Doug Pederson praised Lloyd's upbringing and how it's molded him into the person the Jaguars traded three picks to get.
"Honestly our whole team is full of high character guys. When you have a group of men that are like that, and they're young, and they're energetic and you can shape them as players you can shape them as men. It really goes a long way to how you perform on the football field. They become great citizens in Jacksonville," Pederson said.
Lloyd's parents both served in the Navy. His father recently retired after 30 years of service, his mom served 10 years before Lloyd was born.
"They've done so much for me...the values they've instilled in me teaching me the right things teaching me to be a good person. But they also teach me about self-discipline and really working for what you want to go get," Lloyd said.
In a division that features top tier running back in Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, Lloyd is excited to "battles in the trenches."
Lloyd wants to get physical and says he understands the venom for the Jaguars bitter rival.
"We don't like Tennessee. We don't like Houston," Lloyd said with a smile.
