The Jaguars have reached a deal with the lone defensive lineman they selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Arkansas defensive end Chris Smith, who notched a combined 17 sacks in his final two collegiate seasons, has signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars, the club said Tuesday.
Smith was the Jaguars’ fifth-round pick (No. 159 overall).
The 6-foot-1, 266-pound Smith will vie to be part of the Jaguars’ defensive line rotation as a rookie.
“He’s a very good football player, very instinctive,” Jaguars G.M. David Caldwell said of Smith after the draft, according to the team. “You know, he’s short for a defensive end. But I’ve been around guys like that with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis who didn’t have the actual height but he has 34-plus-inch arms to make up for that length and then his speed. We feel like him being able to get some leverage helps pass rushers sometimes.”
The Jaguars have five remaining unsigned picks, including quarterback Blake Bortles, the No. 3 overall selection.