Could anyone from Pensacola be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft this week?
With a recent history of Pensacola-area football alums being drafted into the NFL, 2024 may be no different.
Several players with connections to Escambia and Santa Rosa County have declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, which is slated to begin with the first round on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) in Detroit.
The second and third rounds of the NFL Draft will be Friday at 6 p.m. (CST), followed by the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. (CST).
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A majority of the NFL Draft hopefuls from the Pensacola area stem from the University of West Florida football team. While the Argos have never had a player selected in the draft, the program has seen a few players signed immediately after as undrafted free agents.
Those players include D'Anthony Bell (Cleveland Browns), David Durden (Dallas Cowboys) and Matt Gotel (Seattle Seahawks).
Who else from Pensacola could possibly hear their name called in Detroit this week?
Jordan Jefferson – Navarre/Louisiana State University
After a year at Division I Louisiana State University, defensive lineman Jordan Jefferson started to crack a few more draft rankings throughout the country. Following a good showing at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, plus a big day at the NFL Combine, Jefferson is currently projected to go in the sixth round of the draft.
Jefferson played in all 13 games at LSU this past season, recording 36 tackles with 2.5 sacks, and adding a forced fumble. Prior to FSU, Jefferson played four years at West Virginia University. Jefferson, after the NFL Combine, earned a prospect rating of 6.12, which is described as a "good backup with the potential to develop into (a) starter."
Jefferson showed out in the combine in the bench press with 34 reps during the drill. He also had a 31-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 8 feet, 8 inches.
"Jefferson has a proportional frame with good upper-body thickness. His game against Alabama was discouraging, as he was often overwhelmed at the point of attack by the size and power of the Crimson Tide," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. "However, it is hard to ignore his first-step quickness and ability to shoot into the backfield as a run-play disruptor. Teams will need to invest the time to get him stronger and to improve his take-on technique. He might be worth a draft and stash for one-gapping teams willing to put developmental work into him."
Jefferson, a former Navarre standout who stands at 6-foot-4, played 27 games for the Raiders. He posted 115 tackles (68 solo) with 11 sacks, 35 tackles for a loss, 26 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two blocked field goals. Jefferson led Navarre to an 11-2 record and a District 2-6A title as a senior. He was also a 2018 PNJ All-Area First Team selection.
If drafted, Jefferson would join a couple other Navarre alums, including Michael Carter (2021) and Jordan Leggett (2017), to be drafted into the NFL. Carter currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s really big for our community, our high school and our program. Just knowing that somebody from Navarre has done really well,” former Navarre head coach Jay Walls previously told the PNJ. "Those goals are attainable here at Navarre. It doesn’t just have to be someone on social media, TV or read about. We have those guys here. ...
"The sky’s the limit with (Jefferson). He can do really special things moving forward.”
Austin Reed – University of West Florida/Western Kentucky University
The player that led the University of West Florida football team to its Division II National Championship in 2019 is looking for his shot at the next level.
Austin Reed, who played at UWF before playing two seasons at Division I Western Kentucky University. Reed wowed the nation in 2022, leading all of Division I with 4,476 yards passing before being named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year with the Hilltoppers.
Reed was tasked with replacing Bailey Zappe, who is currently with the New England Patriots, at WKU. Reed threw for over 3,000 yards in his two seasons with the Hilltoppers.
At the NFL Combine, Reed posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.82 teams, and his 10-yard split was 10.67 seconds.
Reed, with a prospect grade of 5.62 – a "candidate for bottom of (the) roster or practice squad" – is currently projected to be drafted in the fifth or sixth round.
"Reed has impressive career production but lacks NFL traits for the position. He benefited from a scheme that featured almost 30 percent of his throws targeted behind the line of scrimmage in 2023 – and he still completed under 60 percent of his passes, per Pro Football Focus," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. "While his receivers dropped too many easy throws, Reed often lacked the touch and accuracy needed to make their jobs easier. He's a competitor who can slip away from pressure and make plays out of structure, but he simply doesn't have the arm to make the intermediate and deep throws required for the position in the NFL."
Reed previously told the PNJ that he's received comparisons to the likes of Buffalo's Josh Allen or San Francisco's Brock Purdy. Reed's playstyle is similar to Allen's, he said, in terms of his "freeness" and "taking a lot of chances," while Reed's body style is similar to Purdy.
"I'll say it, because I believe in myself. I think I'm as good as anyone in this draft. I think I can start in the NFL," Reed recently told the Up & Adams Show. "I think that one day I will be successful in this league. That kind of comes from my path. I probably wasn't expected to be what I was in college football, and I'm probably not expected to be anything in the NFL. Again, I trust in the Lord with a lot of things in my life, I really do believe He has called me to do this and there's something bigger planned for me in the NFL.
"I believe one day I'll be successful. I don't know if it'll be tomorrow. I don't know if it'll a year from now, (or) two, three years from now. But I know, at some point, it'll come because I have the faith."
Other UWF players who have declared for the NFL Draft
Peewee Jarrett: The former UWF quarterback, who broke a few records with the Argos, declared for the NFL Draft back on Dec. 1. Jarrett recently signed with agent Sean Stellato. At the UWF Pro Day, Jarrett displayed "stellar accuracy," Stellato posted, completing 35 of 38 passes. Twenty-six teams attended the pro day at UWF. During his senior season, Jarrett threw for 2,989 yards in 12 games, and had 32 touchdown passes. He also rushed for 372 yards and three touchdowns. Jarrett has a high chance at being an undrafted free agent, according to different reports.
John McMullen: Not many players made as big of an impact in a single season with UWF as McMullen did on the defensive line. The first unanimous All-American in program history, McMullen – the 2023 GSC Defensive Player of the Year – excelled in defensive coordinator Kavell Conner's four-man front scheme. McMullen had 51 tackles (34 solo, 16 assisted) with 12.5 sacks for a loss of 80 yards. McMullen was part of a suffocating run defense, which allowed an average of 92.7 yards per game on the ground.
John Jiles: Another one-year player for the Argos, Jiles and Jarrett had an incredible connection in their lone season together. Jiles, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver with a knack for leaping over defenders, broke UWF's record for single-season receiving yards, hauling 1,255 yards with 66 catches, scoring 16 touchdowns. During UWF's explosive win at North Greenville University, Jiles was in a league of his own, with 277 yards receiving and a trio of touchdowns. Jiles was recently named to the CBS Sports top 25 draft prospects from a small school. "I was at the College Gridiron Showcase, where everything he did from route-running to catching the ball looked rather easy," Emory Hunt said about Jiles. "He's got good size at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, as well as good acceleration to create the separation necessary to be successful."
Caden Leggett: Leggett became the third Argo to declare for the draft, making his announcement in mid December. Leggett had 669 yards receiving with nine touchdowns in his last season at UWF, including a season-high 127 yards against Chowan during UWF's Senior Day in November. Leggett played at Division I Texas Tech and Snow College before transferring to UWF.
Jalen Bussey: A running back for the Argos, ran for 341 yards on 44 attempts, scoring three touchdowns in 2023. Prior to playing for UWF, Bussey spent four years at Division I North Dakota State, where he played 28 games and rushed for 927 yards and nine touchdowns.
K.J. Franklin: Another wide receiver as part of the deep receiver core for the Argos, Franklin had 20 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Franklin previously spent time at Nicholls State, where he played 43 games and recorded 1,685 yards in four seasons. In 2021, Franklin made an incredible diving catch against McNeese State and was featured on ESPN's "You Got Mossed" segment.
Deshawn Wilson: Another defensive lineman from the Argos, Wilson was the last player from UWF to declare for the NFL Draft. He joined UWF in 2021 after transferring from Mesa Community College. The 6-foot-2 defensive lineman played in six games in 2023, recording seven tackles with an assisted sack. He also had a fumble recovery in the win against Chowan.
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: NFL Draft: Pensacola-area players with possibility of being drafted
