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Taven Bryan: Five things to know about the Jaguars' top pick

TAVEN BRYAN: Gators' teammates call him a "A real-life beast, monster"

Who is Taven Bryan, the defensive tackle picked by the Jaguars in the first round? Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars' executive vice president said Bryan has "outstanding quickness, outstanding ability to come off on the ball, has position flexibility in that he can play inside and he can play outside."

Here are some quick facts:

1. He left the University of Florida early and didn't play in a lot of games for a first-round pick. He wowed NFL insiders with some of the numbers he displayed at the NFL combine. 

Bryan topped all defensive tackles in the vertical jump (35 inches), the broad jump (9 feet, 11 inches), the three-cone drill (7.12 seconds) and the 20-yard shuttle (4.48 seconds).

"The guy's an animal," Florida safety Duke Dawson said. "He comes out to practice and shows it. He shows it in games."

Bryan said he was happy to go to Jacksonville, partly because "It is only an hour drive to bring my stuff over.”

2. His father was a Navy SEAL before becoming a firefighter in Wyoming.  

His father, Brandy, told Bleacher Report in 2017: "If you don't mind being cold, wet, miserable and hungry all the time, the SEALs are for you."

Bryan often tagged along with his dad to build houses. When they weren't working, they were hunting, fishing and exploring mountain ranges and the high plains.

3. Taven is 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds who was compared to J.J. Watt. 

Former Florida defense coordinator Geoff Collins said: "I always thought he had J.J. Watt-ish ability. He's a physical freak, and he's gotten better every single day. He's an NFL player now with room to get better. It's a scary thought.

"VP Tom Coughlin said: "Well certainly, you’re not going to pick a 180-pound defensive lineman. So, size definitely has something to do with it."

4. His nickname at Florida was the "Wyoming Wildman." 

He's from Casper, and not surprisingly, he earned all state honors as an offensive and defensive lineman as a high school senior.

5. He told TMZ that he'd pay off his parents' bills if he was drafted high in the first round. 

"No you’re not. He needs to save his money, because he never knows how long his career is going to last," Brandy said.

WEIGH IN: Are you surprised, Jaguars fans? 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TAVEN BRYAN: https://bit.ly/2Jw8tpS

Posted by Action News Jax on Thursday, April 26, 2018

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The Associated Press contributed to this article.