Seventh-round pick Parker Hughes is leveraging his running back speed and veteran mentorship to climb a thin linebacker depth chart and translate his collegiate dominance to Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie linebacker Parker Hughes is committed to absorbing knowledge from his veteran teammates and the playbook to earn on-field playing time.
The Jaguars finished their draft selecting Hughes out of Middle Tennessee with the 240th pick in the seventh round. Hughes had a career senior campaign with the Blue Raiders, tallying a career and team-high in tackles (100).
He became the first Blue Raider to reach the 100-tackle mark since T.T. Barber in 2013. His career performance caught the eye of general manager James Gladstone, and now, Hughes is in Jacksonville, living his childhood dream.
"It's something I've dreamed about since I was a little kid," Hughes told News4JAX on Tuesday. "Just seeing how these guys work and how they prepare, how they go about their business, playbook, weight room. So, being on the field, man, I'm just trying to learn from them, stack days, limit the mistakes."
Hughes is learning from Foyesade Oluokun and Ventrell Miller, who are the most experienced linebackers on the roster. Oluokun is entering his fifth season with the Jaguars, and Miller is stepping up as the middle linebacker, replacing Devin Lloyd, who departed for the Carolina Panthers.
Jacksonville's seventh-round pick, just like his teammate Zach Durfee, is taking advantage of observing his veterans and taking their advice. They are paving the way for the rookies who are trying to develop into future contributors.
One surprising attribute of the former Blue Raider from his skill set is speed. Hughes used to play running back, and his trainers have helped him retain his quickness on the defensive side of the ball.
"Throughout my career, like my trainers and everybody at Middle (Tennessee) and then here and then Cliff, you know, pro days like worked on speed," Hughes said. "I've always just ran hills, did everything I could to just try to get faster, try to keep it going, but trying to translate that running back to a linebacker for sure."
The Jaguars' linebacker depth is thin, suggesting Hughes could earn playing time sooner rather than later. Jack Kiser, Branson Combs and Yasir Abudallah are the other linebackers on the roster.
However, to prepare himself for future on-field reps, he is studying the playbook. Hughes said he has to learn and bring multiple traits and intangibles because he knows players don't get many reps if they aren't familiar with the playbook.
"I'm big on the playbook," Hughes said. "I mean, I got to learn. I got to know what I'm doing to go out there and play how I play fast, physical, all that. So, like, if you don't get to that level in the book, you're not going to play like that."
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