Jaguars late Day 3 draft pick has attention of Anthony Campanile

Just what the Jacksonville Jaguars saw on tape from defensive end Zach Durfee is exactly what the coaching staff has seen from him during the on-field practices in offseason programs.

For Durfee, it all starts with his play style.

“Really what we’ve seen out here, that’s what we liked about him,” Anthony Campanile said on Wednesday. “He practices super hard, plays hard all the time. I think Zach’s a really good pass rusher, but he’s stout at the point of attack, so he can set a firm edge in the run game. He’s just a big guy that’s really, really athletic.”

The Jaguars also believe that Durfee’s presence adds more versatility to the defense, perhaps even giving him the flexibility to play some off-ball linebacker, much like Dennis Gardeck does, playing two positions.

“He’s got some hybrid qualities in terms of being a defensive lineman that can do some linebacker jobs,” Campanile added. “So we’re always looking for guys with position flexibility and versatility, and he was one of those guys that we thought had those qualities.”

The 2025 season was a breakout year for Durfee at Washington, who produced 35 pressures after having only 10 the season prior. Behind that production was Durfee’s ability to win quickly, ranking 11th in pass rush win rate among defensive ends, according to PFF.

For now, Durfee will presumably compete for playing time behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Also in the mix for those snaps are Wesley Williams, Danny Striggow, and BJ Green. He could end up being a core special teams contributor as well.

“When you watched him play, he just played hard as hell. So that’s something I certainly haven’t been surprised by his effort in practice. That’s what we expected,” Campanile added.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Jaguars’ rookie DE Zach Durfee is standing out on practice field