The Jaguars signed third-round pick defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to a contract on Tuesday.

Ngakoue (pronounced IN-gah-kway) was the final member of the seven-man class to sign his rookie deal. He recorded 13½ sacks last season at Maryland before declaring for the draft as a true junior.

The 22-year-old Ngakoue has received praised from Jaguars coaches in the offseason program for his speed and burst off the ball. The 6-foot-2, 252-pound Ngakoue is expected to back up starter Dante Fowler at the weak-side defensive end [Leo] position.

The team's first two draft picks this year - cornerback Jalen Ramsey and linebacker Myles Jack - missed the 11 practices during organized team activities and minicamp. Ramsey, selected fifth overall, is recovering from minor knee surgery in May, and Jack was unable to participate until UCLA's academic year ended on June 10 because of regulations involving underclassmen.

While Ramsey and Jack were out, Ngakoue competed in every session. The 69th pick in the draft demonstrated why he was so high on the Jaguars' board.

His speed, combined with Fowler's athleticism, is a massive upgrade over last year's Leo combo of Chris Clemons and Andre Branch.

Just ask defensive coordinator Todd Wash.

"Yannick is very explosive, and you see that we have a lot more team speed at our [Leo] position with Dante and him," Wash said. "We have tremendous speed off the edge. We were watching some cut-ups from a year ago, nothing against the two that we had because we love them to death, but these two are young and fast players. We're excited."

The team's concerns about Ngakoue's run-stopping ability have also been alleviated. Jaguars coach Gus Bradley likes what he sees from Ngakoue as a run defender, although none of the offseason practices were conducted in pads.

"What we're seeing right now - some of the questions were him versus the run - that's maybe not as bad as we thought," Bradley said. "Not that we thought it was terrible, but we're pleasantly surprised there. I think that he's going to be a guy that maybe brings a little bit of speed to power. You would think he was just speed. Again, we'll wait and see with pads on, but there are some things that we see that are intriguing to us. He's done a nice job."

Wash echoed Bradley's evaluation. If Ngakoue proves not to be a liability against the run, the depth behind Fowler will be far less uncertain.

"In the process of evaluating him off of college tape, I had some concerns about the run game," Wash said. "I talked to his defensive coordinator at Maryland. Obviously, I went to visit with [Ngakoue] at Maryland, but we don't see that. He's got the willingness. He's got the toughness to sit in there and play the run, so that was the most encouraging thing we've seen out of him at this point."

Ngakoue now has a five-week break to continue to get acclimated to his new team before training camp starts in late July. With a double-digit amount of practices under his belt, Ngakoue is confident he can get off to a strong start in camp and solidify a significant role in the defense.

"It was important to get used to everything down here in OTAs and camp," Ngakoue said. "I'm used to the scheme now, and I proved I can play on this level. I feel like I showed them I'm tough, in shape and definitely explosive and quick."

Branch and Clemons combined for seven sacks last season, as the Jaguars (5-11) finished with 36 to tie for 20th in the NFL. The Leo spot had long stretches of ineffectiveness and was a major reason why the defense couldn't get teams off the field (ranking 31st on third down).

Fowler and Ngakoue need to fight through their inexperience and deliver more for the Jaguars to make the needed improvement required.

"I like the way coach Wash uses us at the Leo position," Ngakoue said. "He gives us a lot of freedom to just go, go get the quarterback, so it's a blessing to be in this scheme."

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