2024 NFL Draft: Clemson's Ruke Orhorhoro Visits Jaguars

The athletic defensive tackle prospect could be on the Jaguars' radar on Day 2.

Feb 28, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro (DL21) speaks at a / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most intriguing defensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft is in Jacksonville.

Clemson defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro posted on social media on Monday from the Miller Electric Center, indicating he is taking an official visit with the Jaguars. The Jaguars have hosted some of the top Day 2 defensive lineman between Orhorhoro and Ohio State's Michael Hall.

Orhorhoro, who turns 23 during the 2024 season, appeared in 10 games for Clemson in 2019, recoring for tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a 0.5 sack.

A knee injury and the COVID-19 pandemic led to Orhorhoro appearing in four games and redshirting in 2020. He then played in 13 games and started in nine in 2021, recording 36 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and three pass deflections. He then returned as a starter in 2022, appearing in 14 games and starting nine while recording 23 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, and five pass deflections.

In his final season in 2023, Orhorhoro started in all 12 games he appeared in and earned Third-Team All-ACC honors after eight tackles for loss and five sacks.

The Jaguars were a frequent mock draft placement for first round defensive tackles Byron Murphy and Jer'Zhan Newton earlier in the offseason, but that focus seems to have shifted in recent weeks.

The Jaguars added veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead in free agency to join a group that has DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, Adom Gotsis, and Jeremiah Ledbetter in the rotation. But with a change in defensive schemes under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen, the Jaguars' could place an even larger emphasis on getting production in the trenches.

“Well, when you can’t run the football and later in the year, you can’t stop the run, that’s a problem in the National Football League. We’ve always prided ourselves on being able to do that; run the football, stop the run. For whatever reason, we weren’t able to do that," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said in January.

"I think there’s a lot of moving parts to that. I don’t think it’s just player related, I don’t think it’s just scheme related. We’ve got to get bigger, we’ve got to get stronger, we’ve got to get more physical in the trenches. If you want to compete for championships, you have to do that. I think we’ve got some good pieces in there, we have some good young players in there, but we have to get better.”