Jaguars trade disappointing second-round pick Maason Smith to Falcons for DL Ruke Orhorhoro

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are shipping off disappointing draft pick Maason Smith to the Falcons in exchange for Ruke Orhorhoro, according to multiple reports.

It’s a swap of former second-round picks who didn’t work out with the teams they were selected by. Smith and Orhorhoro were both taken in the 2024 drafts, Orhorhoro at 35 and Smith at 48.

Smith never seemed to click with the regime that drafted him (coordinator Ryan Nielsen) and the one that inherited him (coordinator Anthony Campanile). Smith had just three sacks, all in his first season, during a flicker of promise in late December of a lost season. He played in just 24 of a possible 34 regular-season games for the Jaguars and was a healthy scratch on numerous occasions.

Orhorhoro (6-4, 295 pounds) gets a much-needed fresh start under Liam Coen and Campanile. Trading for a player who they targeted could allow the Jaguars to focus on another spot at pick No. 56 in next week’s NFL draft. Smith was a nonfactor last year, and had become an afterthought in Jacksonville’s defensive line mix. Orhorhoro had 3.5 sacks and 25 total tackles last year for the Falcons. But with a new head coach (Kevin Stefanski) now in charge in Atlanta, Orhorhoro wasn’t in the organization’s plans.