Oregon Football: Jevon Holland already making name for himself in NFL

Oregon football lost a really good one to the NFL this offseason as Jevon Holland ended his Duck career and entered the draft. He was selected No. 36 overall by the Miami Dolphins and many scouts believed that he could be a day one contributor and potential starter no matter where he went.

So far, that’s been fairly accurate as Holland has been one of the best rookies in the NFL through the first three weeks, even earning Pro Football Focus’ highest grade for a rookie defender through two games.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1441156748182700036?s=20

Holland has been a quick star on the Dolphins’ defense and while he didn’t start against the Patriots to open the year, he still made a couple of tackles and received a high grade from PFF. He had three total tackles, two quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery in a Week 2 loss to Buffalo, playing 77 percent of defensive snaps.

On Sunday, he had three more tackles and played over 50 percent of the defensive snaps against the Raiders. It looks like he’s slowly taking over in the Miami secondary as a starting safety.

Although he has just eight total tackles through three games, he’s playing great football and he’s in the right position constantly.

Oregon football fans aren’t surprised by Holland’s success

The 6-1, 201-pound safety only had two years of production in Eugene, but it was pretty obvious early on that he was a pro. He had 42 tackles, five interceptions, and six pass deflections as a freshman and only improved as a sophomore in 2019.

In fact, he had 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and four pass deflections before sitting out the 2020 season in order to prepare for the NFL draft.

Honestly, he could have been a first-round pick with his resume and potential but he slid to the Dolphins in the second round and he now looks like their star safety of the future.

Don’t be shocked if Holland wins some rookie of the year honors.