Amba Etta-Tawo Chose The Jacksonville Jaguars For Familiarity

The former Syracuse football star, Amba Etta-Tawo, chose the Jacksonville Jaguars after the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft.

It turns out that not being selected during the 2017 NFL Draft was a blessing in disguise. Amba Etta-Tawo was a marginal wide receiver at Maryland.

He certainly didn’t stand out from a statistical standpoint.

Etta-Tawo during his two years with the Maryland Terps wracked in: 30 receptions, 438 yards, and one touchdown, per CFB Statistics. While at Syracuse, Amba nearly quadrupled the yardage, tripled the receptions, and Quattuordecupled his touchdowns.

Believe it or not that’s an actual word for (14 times).

Much of it can be attributed to Dino Babers high octane offense, but Etta-Tawo still had to catch those balls. He displayed a lot of NFL skills in his lone year in Orange: game speed, red zone threat, and did that regardless of competition level.

I saw his Pro Day, he annihilated his 40 time from the annual NFL Scouting Combine. Which I thought locked in his status in the NFL Draft. I’ll admit, I thought he’d go as high as mid-third with his 40 time.

May 26, 2017; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Rashad Greene (13) works out during organized team activities at Everbank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Undrafted

He ended up going undrafted. Etta-Tawo admitted that it was a bitter disappointment in a recent interview but used it as motivation:

"“That was probably the first thing that ran through my head as the Draft was coming to a close,” he said via NFL Player Engagement."

Much like his teammate Brisly Estime who signed with the New York Jets immediately after the NFL Draft, he had a lot of interest as the draft wrapped up.

"“It’s hard to even say how many teams reached out,” Etta-Tawo said via NFL Player Engagement. “I was on the phone with a team and another team calls, it was hard to keep up.”"

While I’m sure it’s cool to hear your name called on draft day, when it gets near the end of the

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draft it’s better for some of these “high priority free agents”, to choose your landing spot. Being drafted doesn’t guarantee you anything in the NFL.

So that’s exactly what Amba did after the draft, after listening to multiple offers he went somewhere he saw familiarity. Although it wasn’t the Syracuse connection believe it or not.

While it may seem like an odd coincidence especially considering Doug Marrone (former Syracuse) and Tom Coughlin’s reunion (former Syracuse). While the real reason Etta-Tawo chose Jacksonville was because of the WR coach.

Bittersweet

"“I have a connection with (Jaguars wide receivers) Coach Keenan (McCardell). We have a good relationship from college,” said Etta-Tawo via NFL Player Engagement, who played under NFL Legend McCardell for two seasons at Maryland. “He played the game so long and he’s talked about the game in the past and that’s helped a lot. He’s taught me to identify coverages. Our relationship has been more so that he’s done it and why not listen to a guy who’d been in the league 17 years. It’s an honor to listen to him and get his aspect of the game.”"

The biggest concern with Etta-Tawo coming out of the draft, according to scouts I talked too, was his inconsistent hands. That was prevalent throughout the season, in practice, and even at his Pro Day.

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It seems to be a lack of concentration more so than anything. He’s obviously got the raw ability, but he can drop a routine slant route and then turnaround and catch a one handed go-route. Maddeningly inconsistent.

His former WR coach should be able to help him work on his fundamentals. Amba is blessed to have this opportunity and admitted he needs to work on that consistency leading up to training camp at the end of July. Etta-Tawo will have a legitimate chance at making the final roster for the Jaguars.