Here's what the Jaguars are getting in Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton, their sixth-round draft pick last week:
_ A tough guy: Luton suffered a thoracic spinal fracture during a game against Washington State in 2017 when he was a sophomore with the Beavers. He was immobilized on a board, carted off the field, but walked out of the hospital later that night.
_ A well-traveled guy: a native of Washington, Luton attended three colleges, ending at Oregon State after stops at Idaho and Ventura Community College. He's played for four coaches in four systems, but he doesn't view that as anything that's held back his development.
"I think my college experience was a bit of a journey," he said. "But I think it's only made me a better player and a better person."
_ A quiet, laid-back guy _ but forceful when required: Oregon State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren tells the story about last year's pregame meal before facing UCLA in the Rose Bowl. There was a little too much chatter and laughter for Luton, and he stood up and admonished his teammates, telling them it was time to quiet down and focus on the game.
"They went silent, instantly," Lindgren said. "That's how much respect they had for him."
Luton then threw for five touchdowns and 285 yards and scored on a 19-yard run in a 48-31 victory over the Bruins.
_ And the Jags are also getting a quarterback who has shown he can rise to the moment. Two games in particular are memorable.
In his second start for Ventura Community College in 2016, Luton threw three interceptions in the first quarter (two went off receivers' hands) and the Pirates trailed 17-0. He came back to throw four touchdown passes in leading the comeback to a 34-29 victory.
And during his junior season at Oregon State, Luton came off the bench in the second half with the Beavers trailing 31-3 at Colorado and threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to lead OSU to a 41-34 victory in overtime.
"Laser focus ... . Ice in his veins," said Steve Mooshagian, Luton's coach at Ventura and the former wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1999-2001. "I've seen his growth every step of the way."
Luton has drawn immediate parallels to Jaguars starter Gardner Minshew II.
They both went to three colleges before finding a home and stardom in the Pac-12. They both were drafted in the sixth round. And they both will arrive at training camp battling for the No. 2 job.
But there are definite size and style differences.
Minshew is spotting the 6-foot-6, 224-pound Luton 6 inches in height. Luton, more of a dropback passer than Minshew, threw for 2,714 yards and 28 touchdowns last year for Oregon State (5-7), with only three interceptions, in a pro-style offense.
There's another difference between Luton and Minshew: personality. Luton's college coaches said he was among the most well-liked players on each team but he doesn't have the outgoing, exuberant persona that Minshew does.
"He's one of the guys ... just a good dude but pretty laid back," Lindren said.
Mooshagian said Luton would think nothing of bringing his golden lab to quarterback meetings, then leaving the dog in his crate in his office during practice.
"He's kind of old-school," Mooshagian said. "The kind of guy you see walking around with his dog, going hunting and fishing, hanging out. He has a lot of friends but doesn't need a big entourage around him. He'll be a good teammate."
