As a rookie, he appeared in all sixteen regular-season games for the Jaguars, making seven starts and recording 25 tackles (18 solo) and 3.5 sacks. In 2005, he started one game and played in all 16 for the second straight season, totaling 23 tackles (20 solo) and 5.5 sacks.
In addition, he forced two fumbles and recovered another.
McCray was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He is the third former Alabama player to be chosen number one, following Paul "Bear" Bryant and DeMeco Ryans.
Bobby McCray is from Prichard, Alabama and attended Prattville High School. There, he lettered in football, basketball, and track.
He originally signed with Florida State University but later decided to go to college in Alabama instead. During his time at Alabama, he became one of the top defensive ends in the nation. In 2004, he led the team with 12 sacks and was named First Team All-American by The Sporting News.
After graduating from Alabama in 2003, he entered the 2005 NFL Draft. At the time, he was considered one of the best defensive players available in the draft. Many experts believed that he would go in the first round but were surprised when the Jaguars took him six spots before Washington's Kerry Collins.
As a rookie in 2018, he appeared in all 16 games with 10 starts and had 59 tackles (37 solo), a tackle for loss, a QB pressure, and 13 passes defensed (No. 2 on the team). He also had three special teams tackles and a blocked punt recovery for a touchdown.
Jackson was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round (10th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Oklahoma.
In 2017, as a sophomore, he started 11 of 12 games and had 52 tackles (35 solo), 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass defensed. As a freshman in 2016, he made 14 starts at weak-side linebacker and finished with 47 tackles (30 solo), including 2.5 sacks.
He chose to attend Oklahoma over Nebraska, Alabama, and Michigan.
“I want to be known as a leader who is responsible and makes sure his teammates are going to be alright even when you aren't,” Jackson said after his first season. “I think we have some really good players here and I just want to bring that out in them.”
Jackson was named a First Team All-American by Pro Football Writers Association and Second Team All-American by AP.
Dareus has 32 tackles (23 solo), one sack, and one forced fumble in 15 games this season. Dareus had one of his least productive statistical seasons, but he still helped the Jaguars finish seventh in total defense (311.4 YPG) while starting at defensive tackle. He started all 15 games for the second straight year.
In 2015, Dareus had 31 tackles (25 solo) and three sacks in 16 games. He received some criticism for not getting more sacks but most believed that he played a big role in the defense by generating pressure on the quarterback. The Jaguars decided to give him a contract extension before the start of 2016. They extended him through the 2020 season with annual salaries of $12 million over the first two years and $12.5 million per year thereafter. The extension was expected to be announced at the end of last season but was leaked early.
Overall, Dareus has 96 tackles (72 solo) and nine sacks in 50 games over four seasons with the Jaguars. His average of 1.2 sacks per season is less than what you would expect from a double-digit salary player but he's still considered one of the best defensive players in the league. He's been selected to five consecutive All-Pro teams.
Dareus will be entering his fifth season next year and the Jaguars are hoping he can continue to play at a high level despite being 30 years old.
During a 36-35 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, he had five combined tackles and a season-high 2.5 sacks on December 30, 2018. In 11 games and 11 starts, he had 30 combined tackles (23 solo), seven pass deflections, and one pass deflection. He received an overall grade of 79.4 from PFF that year.
In 2017, he started all 16 games for the first time in his career and recorded 59 combined tackles (47 solo) with 10 passes defensed and 1.0 sack. His 47 solo tackles were the most of any outside linebacker not playing at least 75 percent of the defensive snaps. He also ranked second among 4-3 outside linebackers with 7 passes defensed and was rated as the No. 3 edge defender by PFF.
A first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2016 out of Vernon Beach High School in Staten Island, New York, he spent his first three seasons with the Giants before being traded to the Titans in 2019. He played 82.9 percent of Tennessee's defensive snaps in 2018 and made 63 combined tackles (50 solo) with 6.5 sacks, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble. He received an overall grade of 80.7 from PFF that year.
Vernon's mother, Darlene, died in October 2017 after fighting cancer for two years.
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