Jaguars sign 5 draft picks, including QB Gardner Minshew

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars have signed five of their draft picks before the start of rookie minicamp.

Jacksonville announced that it had signed second-round pick Jawaan Taylor, the former Florida Gators right tackle.

Also signed, were third-round tight end Josh Oliver, fifth-round running back Ryquell Armstead, sixth-round quarterback pick Gardner Minshew and seventh-round defensive tackler Dontavius Russell. 

Minshew (6-2, 220 pounds) could be in line for a greater role than previously thought after the early Thursday release of backup quarterback Cody Kessler. Minshew, who played at Washington State last year, passed for 4,779 yards and 38 touchdowns and was the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. He finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. 

“I think all of the past experiences have prepared me for this moment and this opportunity and I’m just looking forward to it,” Minshew said.

Oliver (6-5, 249 pounds) fills a major void at tight end and the Jaguars need him to develop into a reliable pass-catcher. He had 1,067 yards on 98 catches in his career at San Jose State.

“I’m excited to sign that paperwork that officially makes me a Jaguars player,” said Oliver. “I’m excited for this opportunity. This is something that I’ve dreamt of my entire life.”

Russell (6-3, 320) logged 52 career games with Auburn and started 49. He had 154 tackles. Armstead (5-11, 220 pounds) played at Temple and rushed for 2,812 yards and 34 TDs on 573 carries in his career. 

The five signings leave only first-round pick Josh Allen and third-round selection Quincy Williams unsigned.

The Jaguars also signed the following 21 undrafted rookie free agents: 

Shane Bowman    DE    6-4    290    Washington
Tyre Brady    WR    6-3    211    Marshall
Khairi Clark    DT    6-1    309    Florida
Donnell Greene    OL    6-5    335    Minnesota
Joe Giles-Harris    LB    6-2    234    Duke
Tae Hayes    CB    5-9    188    Appalachian State
Raphael Leonard    WR    6-2    197    Southern Illinois
Carson Meier    TE    6-5    254    Oklahoma
Picasso Nelson Jr.    CB    5-10    193    Southern Mississippi
Marquez Sanford    CB    5-10    189    Murray State
Saivion Smith    CB    6-1    199    Alabama
Dredrick Snelson    WR    5-11    189    UCF
Bunchy Stallings    OG    6-2    324    Kentucky
Connor Strachan    LB    6-0    230    Boston College
Michael Walker    WR    5-11    194    Boston College
Brandon Watson    CB    5-11    198    Michigan
Papi White    WR    5-8    188    Ohio
Andrew Williams    DT    6-4    294    Auburn
Andrew Wingard    S    6-0    209    Wyoming
Zedrick Woods    S    5-11    205    Ole Miss
Roderick Young    DT    6-1    307    North Texas

To make room on the roster, the Jaguars released LB Blair Brown, OL Parker Ehinger, FB Dimitri Flowers, QB Cody Kessler and RB David Williams. The Jaguars also released LB Donald Payne with a failed physical designation.

The Jaguars now have 90 players on their roster.
 


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.