Jalen
Huskey.
Jalen
Huskey.
Maryland· 6'1"· 196 lb· 4.55s 40
R3 · #100 · Jacksonville Jaguars"Ball-hawking single-high safety who transferred from Bowling Green to Maryland and stacked 11 career interceptions with legit range and downhill trigger."Pre-draft read
Plays free safety with eyes on the quarterback from the middle of the field, reading three-step timing to drive on throws before the receiver clears the stem. He exhibits an efficient backpedal, uses one hard plant, and bursts with an angle-first mentality to reach sideline throws. Ball skills are a strength: he high-points, adjusts late, and finishes cleanly on catches, rather than merely breaking up passes.
He is a willing tackler who takes good pursuit angles and wraps low on the perimeter, showing more impact when triggering downhill from depth. He is comfortable rotating late to Cover 3 from a two-high shell and holds his own in Tampa 2 seams. His ceiling is limited by average change-of-direction against short in-breaking routes underneath.
Cover-3 match, Fangio two-high
Immediate Year 1 special teams player, with a long-term future as a starting single-high free safety in a zone-heavy scheme.
Man-heavy schemes that demand safeties cover slot receivers and tight ends in man coverage, particularly those that require frequent change-of-direction in short areas.
Huskey's ball-hawking skills and range make him an ideal fit for schemes that prioritize deep field coverage and opportunistic playmaking from the middle of the field.
Jalen Huskey Highlights | Jacksonville Jaguars Safety | Maryland | 2026 NFL Draft
Full college highlight reel — Bowling Green and Maryland tape focused on interceptions and center-field range.
2026 NFL Draft Gems - #27 S Jalen Huskey (Maryland)
Pre-draft breakdown of his ball skills, processing and Day-3 value projection.
Jalen Huskey INT on Kurtis Rourke Overthrow
Isolated interception clip showing depth read, click-and-close and finish at the catch point.
He projects as a center-field free safety designed to operate from deep alignments, providing a team with a high-volume ball hawk who excels at reading quarterbacks and making plays on the ball. His evaluation is built directly on his ability to process information and leverage his range, making him a specific scheme fit for defenses prioritizing deep-half or single-high coverage.
He spent three seasons at Bowling Green as a starter before transferring to Maryland for two years, finishing his career with 45 games played and 11 interceptions, a total tied for third among Power Four safeties in his class. His senior season at Maryland included 71 tackles and 4 interceptions, highlighted by a fourth-quarter interception against Wisconsin on a Danny O'Neil overthrow that solidified his Day 3 grade.
Evaluators consistently noted his strong ball skills and range, but flagged concerns about his marginal play strength in the box and average short-area quickness. He was generally slotted as a late fourth to early fifth-round prospect on most boards, ultimately selected by Jacksonville with the 100th pick for his potential as a developmental single-high safety.
- 01
Strong Ball Skills
High-points the ball, adjusts late, and finishes cleanly on catches, making plays rather than just breaking passes up.
- 02
Center-Field Range
Plays free safety with eyes on the quarterback from the middle of the field, driving on throws before receivers clear the stem.
- 03
Efficient Backpedal
Exhibits an efficient backpedal, uses one hard plant, and bursts with an angle-first mentality to reach sideline throws.
- 04
Willing Tackler
Willing tackler who takes good pursuit angles and wraps low on the perimeter, showing impact triggering downhill from depth.
- 05
Scheme Versatility
Comfortable rotating late to Cover 3 from two-high shell and holds his own in Tampa 2 seams, showing good positional understanding.
- 01
Average Change of Direction
His ceiling is limited by average change-of-direction against short in-breaking routes underneath, impacting his break on the ball.
- 02
Marginal Play Strength
Marginal play strength in the box and average short-area quickness limit effectiveness against physical blockers and quick-breaking routes.
- 03
Limited Box Impact
Displays marginal box play strength, often getting washed by lead blocks in run fits, preferring to work off blocks instead of through.
- 04
Average Short-Area Quickness
Exhibits average short-area quickness, particularly on in-breaking and sit routes, which can be exploited by shifty receivers.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.55sp50
- Vertical
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- Broad jump
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- Three-cone
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- Shuttle
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- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bowling Green | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Bowling Green | 12 | 52 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | Maryland | 12 | 45 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Maryland | 12 | 72 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 45 | 175 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Same-team Day-3 safety archetype — instincts, special teams and rotational deep safety reps as a floor outcome.
Ball-hawking Day-2 single-high safety who processes fast and finishes interceptions rather than settling for PBUs.
Longer developmental Day-3 safety who stuck as a rotational free safety and heavy special-teams contributor for several years.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context
Huskey was a two-star recruit out of Ohio who spent three years at Bowling Green — one redshirt, one rotational season, and a full-time starter year that produced four interceptions — before transferring to Maryland for the Big Ten audition. Two seasons and seven more interceptions later he had a Combine invite, a verified 4.55 forty, and one of the most productive ball-hawking résumés in the safety class: 45 games, 11 picks, tied for third among Power Four safeties in the cycle. The evaluation was clean on ball skills and processing, thinner on box play-strength and man-cover versatility. The senior game vs Wisconsin — a fourth-quarter interception on a Danny O'Neil overthrow — was the anchor tape. Boards had him fourth to fifth; Jacksonville took him at 100.
NFL fit — Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville's safety room plays from a two-high base with heavy split-safety rotation, and Huskey slots behind Antonio Johnson at free safety and alongside Andrew Wingard as the third safety on the depth chart. Realistic Year 1 is core-four special teams as a gunner and vise with dime-package deep-safety reps in obvious passing downs. The developmental path is the Wingard path — earn trust as a scout-team ball-hawk and teams captain, work into the three-safety package by Year 2, and profile as a spot starter if Johnson misses time. His processing and center-field range fit exactly what the defensive system asks of the deep safety in its two-high shells.
Retrospective
Too early to say. What we know now: the pick fits the team's scheme and depth-chart need, the price (100, first pick of Day 3) is fair value for a productive Power Four safety with a Combine invite, and the ball-production profile is the anchor rather than an athletic-testing spike. The retrospective will hinge on whether the interception total translates against NFL quarterbacks who won't hang throws in the middle of the field, or whether he settles in as a Wingard-style rotational safety and core-teams contributor. Either outcome would be defensible value at the top of the fourth.