USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele had to wait until the third day of the NFL draft to hear his name called, but not much longer than that.

Tufele was the first pick of Day 3, as the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him at the start of the fourth round with the 106th overall pick.

Tufele follows offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker (14th overall to the New York Jets) as the second Trojan drafted overall.

Tufele landed at the end of the first round in some way-too-early mock drafts coming off his redshirt sophomore season in 2019 -- when he was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection -- but he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns after his sister was hospitalized after contracting the virus last year.

Tufele always stated that his opt-out decision wasn't football-related and wasn't something he could second-guess, which is understandable. From a purely football standpoint, though, the lack of a 2020 season to build upon his real breakout year likely stunted his draft stock.

At his best, though, Tufele was a force up front for the Trojans. Overall, he finished with 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks over 18 starts and 25 games total at USC.