JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars switched sides late Friday.
As they switched, they did so to address an area that remained a concern entering the 2017 NFL Draft.
Dawuane Smoot, a pass-rushing defensive end from the University of Illinois, late Friday night became the Jaguars' third selection in the '17 draft. The Jaguars selected him with the fourth selection of the third round, the No. 68 selection overall.
Smoot (6-feet-3, 264 pounds), a team captain who played all four seasons at Illinois, was a third-team All-Big 10 selection as a senior. He registered 56 tackles as a senior with 15 tackles for loss and five sacks.
He had eight sacks as a junior and 2.5 sacks as a sophomore. He finished sixth in Illinois history with 16.5 career sacks and had 38.5 career tackles for loss.
The Jaguars had entered the draft needing to continue to address a pass rush that has struggled at times in recent seasons.
The Jaguars went offense with the first two selections in the '17 draft.
They selected Louisiana State running back Leonard Fournette with the No. 4 overall selection in the draft Thursday. They selected Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson early Friday evening with the second selection of the second round, the No. 34 selection overall.
