One of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ undrafted rookies is making some high-impact plays in the early going of OTAs.
As of Monday, the Jaguars have had four OTA practices, two of which have been open to the local media. In the first open session, cornerback Preston Hodge came away with an interception, according to Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax, in his post-practice breakdown.
St. Cyr then added that during the most recent Jaguars’ practice, Hodge forced a fumble. “He seems to keep finding the football,” St. Cyr wrote.
Hodge joins the Jaguars as an experienced college defender with 2,240 career snaps played. He spent the previous two seasons at Colorado after playing two years at Liberty.
Over a large three-season sample size, Hodge has proved to be stingy in coverage, which includes allowing a completion rate of just 50% on 66 targets in 2025. In his two seasons at Colorado, Hodge recorded three interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
He was, however, penalized nine times during that span and dealt with missed tackles. He also gave up some big completions, allowing 15.2 yards per catch the last two seasons, per PFF. The bulk of his career snaps have come from the slot.
Could Preston Hodge make a 53-man roster push with the Jaguars?
What we know right now at the cornerback position is that Travis Hunter, Jourdan Lewis, Montaric Brown, and Jarrian Jones make up the top four spots on the depth chart. That leaves one to two roster spots up for grabs.
Christian Braswell will enter training camp as the favorite for that fifth spot on the depth chart, but he’s not an absolute roster lock either. And if the Jaguars keep six cornerbacks, which is perhaps more likely than not with Hunter playing both ways, that position on the roster is wide open and up for grabs.
Hodge showcasing that he can play both inside and out at the NFL level may be an important element to him making a roster push.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars’ UDFA making high-impact plays early in OTAs
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
