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If you were a college athlete who made money from NIL deals, what would you spend it on?
Would you buy a ton of clothes? How about upgrading your car?
In the case of Jacksonville Jaguars rookie defensive back Jalen Huskey, he built a considerable Lego collection.
“I have a whole room in my apartment just for Legos. A huge backlog of Legos. A closet full,” Huskey said, noting that his passion came from a childhood friend who used to build them.
Huskey said he had a few while playing at Bowling Green but his passion really took off at Maryland. “I used to build them in the facility, have them in my locker, stuff like that.”
He has a highlight on his Instagram page dedicated to Legos, with videos and photos of him in the process of building the sets and how they look when completed. In total he assumes that he has 40-50 unbuilt sets with about 50 sets already built.
“The number is probably completely wrong,” he said after thinking on it some more.
But don’t take Huskey’s part-time passion to mean he’s unserious about football. The Maryland native is all about football and is determined to show the Jaguars they made the right choice selecting him in the third round of this year’s draft.
Jaguars rookie Jalen Huskey converted to safety from cornerback position in college
Huskey was voted as the Montgomery All-County 4A Defensive Player of the Year his senior season in high school.
He led the county in interceptions as a cornerback and scored six touchdowns in the postseason as a receiver.
But he didn’t garner heavy recruiting interest and was ranked as a three-star athlete, eventually committing to Bowling Green, where he played two seasons. He appeared in 21 games for the Falcons, recording 59 total tackles, six pass deflections and four interceptions.
He transferred to Maryland in 2024 and converted to safety, a position change that sparked his best season in college. He recorded 72 total tackles, four interceptions and three pass deflections during his final season with the Terrapins.
“I feel like my entire life I’ve been a little overlooked or a little overshadowed. I’ve showed that I can produce, too,” Huskey said. “At every single stop I’ve produced and it’s not going to stop because I’m in the NFL.”
Jalen Huskey’s versatility may be key to early playing time
Huskey’s skillset is a match for the way the Jaguars want to play.
His background at cornerback gives him the ability to guard a range of opposing players. From shifty slot receivers to bruising tight ends, Huskey is able to stick with whoever is lined up across from him.
“Being able to understand route concepts inside-out. Being able to read receivers and being confident. I’m super confident whether I’m guarding a receiver or a tight end or even a running back. It doesn’t really matter to me.”
Jacksonville played a ton of three safety or big nickel packages throughout last season. It allows them to defend the run adequately while having players who can defend against receivers.
Huskey joins Antonio Johnson, Eric Murray, Caleb Ransaw and Rayuan Lane in the safeties room. His versatility, with a strong open field tackling ability and nose for the football — as shown by his nine picks in college — could be key to him seeing the field early.
Especially if he picks up defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s system quickly. Those are thoughts that’ll come to light over the course of offseason workouts and training camp. But for now, Huskey is just living his longtime dream.
“It’s been a dream come true. You can’t put it into words. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was three years old, when I started trying to play football,” he said. “It’s everything that I ever wanted it to be and I’m super grateful for the opportunity.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Inside rookie Jalen Huskey’s projected role with Jacksonville Jaguars
Reporting by Juston Lewis, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
