Texas Tech football saw two players drafted this weekend. After Dadrion Taylor-Demerson went in the fourth round to the Arizona Cardinals, Myles Cole joined him as the second Red Raider drafted. Cole was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round at pick number 236. Cole became the ninth and final member of the Jaguars 2024 draft class.
Cole was also the fifth defensive player to be selected by the Jaguars this year along with Maason Smith, Jarrian James, Jordan Jefferson, and Deantre Prince. Jacksonville is loaded with talent on defense. Cole will learn alongside experienced defensive lineman Arik Armstead as well as linebacker Josh Allen and young linebacker and pass rusher Travon Walker.
Cole became an instant success when he arrived in Lubbock in 2022. After transferring in from Louisiana-Monroe, he appeared in all 13 games his first season as a Red Raider. He rotated between defensive line and linebacker in new defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter's system. Eventually, Cole found his place as an edge rusher in 2023.
Last season he racked up 32 tackles and 3.5 sacks, both career-highs. After being awarded All-Big 12 honorable mention, Cole spent the first part of his draft preparation participating in two all-star games. He played in the East West Shrine Bowl alongside former teammates Taylor-Demerson and Tyler Owens as well as the Senior Bowl along with Austin McNamara.
Big time length heading to #DUUUVAL @mdoc55 ➡️ @Jaguars #WreckEm | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/V8xwhbmvK8
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) April 27, 2024
At the scouting combine, scouts praised his size and speed which helped Cole get attention on draft weekend. At 6'6" running a 4.67 speed in the 40-yard dash, it was not surprising an NFL team was willing to take a chance on him. Many believe Cole is a project and that may be true, but he is young prototype of a modern day edge rusher.
Last season the Jaguars got off to a hot start thanks to Trevor Lawrence and their weapons on offense. However, following Lawrence's injury the team stumbled during the back half of the season and failed to make the playoffs. A good amount of the blame falls on a defense that only registered 40 sacks all season. That ranked in the bottom ten of the league last season. Cole could definitely be a piece to the puzzle of a defense looking to get more pressure on quarterbacks.