Ronnie Harrison impressing Jaguars veterans

One of the more interesting picks of the Jacksonville Jaguars 2018 NFL Draft class is former Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison. The Jaguars selected Harrison in the third round, but many expected Harrison to potentially be a first round pick. He was immediately tabbed as a steal in the draft and many think the Jaguars got fantastic value with the pick.

In fact, he’s already impressing some of his teammates.

“I love Ronnie Harrison’s game. He is one of those guys who truly can play both positions. I guess the knock on him coming out was that he was a box safety and what not, who can’t cover,” veteran Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson said after practice on Monday when asked about the rookie. “I truly believe that he is a unique player, and I think that somehow, someway Ronnie is going to be on the field. He is a good young player. Especially when the game slows down for him – I don’t know when that might be – but when the game slows down for him, you can tell that he gets it. He understands football, and that is one of the things that you look at. He knows how to play the game of football, and I don’t know if you want to give Nick Saban all that credit. He is just genetically gifted.”

As Gipson mentioned, many viewed Harrison as simply just a box safety lacking true coverage ability, but it’s clear the Jaguars coaching staff and his teammates view him as someone who is more of a hybrid, do-it-all type of safety, which is a big upgrade to the depth at the position.

“I am excited to have young guys like that that give us depth. It is an exciting thing like that to be able to coach young guys up,” Gipson continued. “He is quiet, he doesn’t talk much, but when he goes out there he plays, and all he does is make plays.”

While it’s unlikely Harrison will start for the Jaguars in 2018, as Gipson pointed out he will find his way on the field for more than just special teams.