Jaguars Draft Pick Devin Lloyd Reveals How Utah Utes Prepared Him for NFL (Exclusive)

By Brian Jones

Devin Lloyd is one of the new members of the Jacksonville Jaguars as he was drafted No. 27 overall by the team this past weekend. In light of the news, the 23-year-old linebacker is confident he will succeed in the NFL because of what he learned while playing for the Utah Utes for the last four years. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Lloyd admits how Utah prepared him for life in the NFL. 

"You know, and it starts with the culture, the cultures we have there," Lloyd exclusively told PopCulture via telephone. "They set the standard every day of just really just being a pro, carrying yourself like a professional. I mean, the coaching aspect of it, they're great teachers, so they know how to relay messages to every person, doesn't matter how you learn. I think that's just a recipe for success, and we have good people to build and that do things the right way. That's why we have a lot of guys have success at the next level, just because of the formula. They know what they're doing. They've been doing it for a long time."

During his time at Utah, Lloyd recorded 255 career tackles with 16.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss. In 2021, Lloyd posted 22 tackles for loss and eight sacks, leading him to be named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and the first-team All-American by the Associated Press. 

When asked what Lloyd will miss about playing at Utah, he said it boils down to the atmosphere. "Really just being around that culture, being around all my guys who I've been there with since, really for the last five years. Just kind of being in that environment and, as excited I am to go on to this next phase of my life and a new environment that I'll be in, you just have those memories that'll last forever," he said.

Lloyd joins a Jaguars team that has missed the playoffs the last five seasons. They had the No. 1 overall draft pick for the last two years and selected Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence last year and Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker over the weekend. Along with Walker and Lloyd, the Jaguars selected Kentucky offensive lineman Luke Fortner, Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma, Mississippi running back Snoop Conner, Ouachita Baptist cornerback Gregory Junior and Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown. 

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