Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone on Dontavius Russell: 'He has the ability to play in this league'
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When the Jaguars selected rookie defensive tackle Dontavius Russell with their seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, it was clear to see the team liked the 6'3", 319-pound nose tackle as a developmental run stuffer.
As a four-year starter in the SEC, Russell racked up 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks over the last two seasons in college. But as Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Tuesday, Russell has been playing almost a different game in the NFL compared to when he was at Auburn.
“It’s such a different game for those guys, meaning that, like I’ve said before, the one thing I’m learning over the last couple of years, offensive line and defensive line, because the way the game’s played in college and it’s so much spread, and they’re reading, and there’s zone reads and everything, that all of a sudden now you have 21 personnel in the NFL and you have a quarterback and two [running] backs," Marrone said when asked about what he has seen from Russell so far.
While Russell has had to adjust to the NFL, he has flashed at moments throughout the preseason with his run defending ability. With starting defensive tackle Marcell Dareus injured over the last few weeks, Russell has been given more of a chance to show coaches what he can do.
Marrone said those flashes from the rookie have impressed him up to this point. Russell is battling for a 53-man roster spot and could instead end up on the practice squad instead, but his head coach thinks he has a spot in the league regardless.
"But I do see this out of Dontavius—he’s strong as hell. He has a hell of an anchor. He has the ability to come off of ball and knock people back," Marrone said.
"That’s what we’re looking to get more from him, as well as everyone else up there. He has the ability to play in this league."