The Jaguars selected Ole Miss cornerback Deantre Prince with the No. 153 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday.
Prince, 6-foot, 183 pounds, is the second cornerback Jacksonville has selected in this year’s draft, following Florida State cornerback Jarrian Jones on Day 2.
Despite his middling three-star status as a high school recruit, Prince made an immediate impact with Ole Miss as a true freshman in 2019, intercepting two passes and 25 tackles in 12 games.
But Prince entered the NCAA transfer portal that offseason — “I wasn’t prepared for the college life and the things I had to do,” Prince told the Daily Journal — and ended up at Northeast Mississippi Community College for the 2020 campaign.
He returned to Ole Miss in 2021 and quickly re-emerged as a playmaker in the Rebels’ secondary, a title he held on to for the next three seasons.
Between 2021-23, Prince recorded 121 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, 23 pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He allowed a completion percentage of 50.8%, per Pro Football Focus, with opposing quarterbacks going 67-of-132 when targeting him in coverage.
At the 2024 NFL combine, Prince posted a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, a 1.47-second 10-yard split, a 34 and 1./2-inch vertical jump and a 125-inch broad jump.
Before Prince, Jacksonville picked LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23 in the first round, LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith at No. 48 in the second round, Jones at No. 96 in the third round, and Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster at No. 114 and LSU defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson at No. 116 in the fourth round.
Jaguars’ remaining 2024 NFL draft picks
- Round 5, Pick 167 (via Minnesota)
- Round 6, Pick 212
- Round 7, Pick 236
