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.