Jacksonville Jaguars: NFL Draft

Allen is a New Jersey native but played three years of high school football in Alabama before moving back to Jersey for his senior year (43.5 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks). Kentucky convinced him to come back to the South for college. He played in 12 games as a reserve in 2015 (four tackles, 1.5 for loss) before turning up his game as a sophomore. started nine of 13 games in 2016, accumulated 62 tackles, 8.5 for loss, and a team-high seven sacks. He also led the SEC with four forced fumbles. Allen started all 13 games as a junior, topping the Wildcats with 9.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks while being credited with 65 tackles, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. High expectations were set for Allen in 2018 and he exceeded them, winning the Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy for being one of the top defenders in college football. The First-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-SEC pick led the Wildcats with 88 tackles in 13 games, tied for sixth nationally with 21.5 tackles for loss and ranked second in the FBS in both sacks (17) and forced fumbles (five).

Taylor was highly-recruited out of Florida's Cocoa High School, but Florida coaches told him he needed to lose weight before they would offer him a scholarship. He went from 380 pounds to a listed 347 when signing his letter of intent with the Gators. That hard work paid off on the field, as he started 12 of 13 games played in his first year in Gainesville, garnering Freshman All-American honors and being named to the Freshman All-SEC team. He played in all 11 games as a sophomore, starting the first nine at right tackle and the final two on the left side. Taylor was considered one of the best linemen in the country by NFL scouts in 2018, even though his play in 12 games at right tackle did not garner him any all-conference honors. He sat out the opening series of the Gators' first game last fall because he did not "meet the Gator standard."

Oliver was recruited to play a rush end/linebacker by San Jose State out of Paso Robles, as he was an All-State player on that side of the ball. However, the Spartans suffered injuries at the tight end position, and he had experience as a receiver in high school. Oliver actually started four games as a true freshman in 2015, making four catches for 36 yards (9.0 average) and scoring in the fourth quarter of the AutoNation Cure Bowl. Though his receiving totals were meager in 2016 (3-26-8.7, one TD), coaches started him in 9 of 12 games played. Oliver was a larger part of the offense in his junior season, catching 35 passes for 296 yards (8.5 average) and scoring once in 12 games (11 starts). He nearly doubled his yards per reception as a senior, averaging 12.7 yards on his team-high 56 catches (709 total) and scoring four times to earn first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.

Williams was mostly known as Quinnen's little brother before NFL scouts noticed the sibling of Alabama's All-American defensive tackle. He was an All-Birmingham Metro player and area Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Wenonah High School but did not receive the recruiting notice that Quinnen did. As a redshirt freshman, Williams started 3 of 11 games played in 2015 (31 tackles, three for loss). He started 3 of 10 games played the following year (32 tackles, four for loss, blocked kick) before getting a full-time job as a junior (57 tackles, 1.5 for loss). Williams took his game to another level during his senior campaign, ranking second in the FCS with 7.1 tackles per game (111 total, 9.5 for loss) and two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). Ohio Valley Conference coaches named him first-team all-conference for his efforts in 2018.

Armstead did not start many games for the Owls over his first three seasons but produced when given his opportunities. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman (51-191-3.7, two TD rushing) and did so again in 2016, starting four games and nearly reaching 1,000 rushing yards and scoring 14 times (156-919-5.9). Armstead started 4 of 13 games played again in 2017, though his numbers dropped as a rusher (156-604-3.9, five TD). He also caught 14 passes for 75 yards (5.4 average) on the year. Nagging injuries hit him again during his senior season, but he still managed to garner first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors by gaining 1,098 yards and 13 touchdowns on 210 carries (5.2 average) in 10 starts. Armstead sat out Temple's bowl game in December to nurse an ankle injury and prepare for the NFL Draft.

Minshew's collegiate career nearly finished on a much different note. He almost signed on as a graduate student at Alabama to be a third-string quarterback for the Tide. WSU coach Mike Leach offered him a starting job at the last minute, however, as the team tried to find a starter in the aftermath of the passing of 2017 passer Tyler Hilinski. Minshew become one of the top passers in college football in 2018, and a local mustachioed hero, helping the Cougars win 11 games for the first time ever and winning the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award. He led the FBS in completions (468), pass attempts (662), passing yards per game (367, 4,779 total) and ranked in the top five nationally in completion percentage (70.6), passing touchdowns (38) while throwing nine interceptions. He went to Northwest Mississippi Community College out of high school, leading the team to a junior college national championship (223-367-60.8, 3,288 yards, 28 TD, five INT) with a big effort in the title game (421 yards, five TD). East Carolina signed him after that season, but he could not lock down the starting job at the start of either of his seasons there. Minshew stepped in for two games for injured Phillip Nelson in 2016 (119-202-58.9, 1,347 yards, eight TD, four INT in seven games) and in five games for an injured Thomas Sirk in 2017 (174-304-57.2, 2,140, 16 TD, seven INT in 10 games). His father, Flint, played football at Millsaps College and his mother, Kim, played basketball at Mississippi State.

Russell's 2018 off-season started a bit rocky, suffering a dislocated thumb in a April car accident. The former top-150 recruit nationally redshirted his first year on the Plains, then stepped in to start 10 of 13 games played in 2015 (42 tackles, 4.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks). Russell started all 13 games in 2016 (29 tackles) but became more of a playmaker in his junior season with 46 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and three sacks as a 14-game starter. He was a 13-game starter in the middle for the Tigers in 2018, making 36 tackles, six for loss, and 1.5 sacks.