Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Raiders DC Patrick Graham

For the third time in 5 years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a brand new head coach.

Massive Cat Nation’s Jaguars head coach hiring course of tracker is continually being up to date — however to supply extra data on the highest candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles all through the search.

Different head coach candidate profiles:

Subsequent up: Patrick Graham, who interviewed with the Jaguars on Saturday, Jan. 11.

Picture by Ethan Miller/Getty Photographs

Expertise

Graham performed on the defensive position at Yale, the place he received an Ivy League title in 1999 and graduated with a level in sociology in 2002. He joined Wagner School as a graduate assistant for 2 years, then went to Richmond to educate their defensive position in 2004 and their tight ends in 2005 and 2006.

The Connecticut native joined Charlie Weis at Notre Dame as a defensive graduate assistant in 2007 and stayed for 2 seasons. He accepted a place at Toledo as defensive position coach in 2009, however he resigned after a month to affix Invoice Belichick’s Patriots as a defensive high quality management coach.

In New England, Graham was promoted to defensive assistant in 2010 then linebackers coach in 2011. He switched to defensive position coach from 2012-13 then again to ‘backers from 2014-15. The Patriots received Tremendous Bowl XLIX together with his assist.

Graham coached the Giants’ defensive position from 2016-17 earlier than changing into linebackers coach and run recreation coordinator for the Packers in 2018. He obtained his first shot as defensive coordinator for the 2019 Dolphins. Graham returned to New York as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach from 2020-21.

In 2022, Graham was a finalist for the Vikings’ head coach emptiness, however the job finally went to Kevin O’Connell. Graham as an alternative turned defensive coordinator for the Raiders and was instrumental in developing the franchise’s finest protection in a long time.

Efficiency

2024 Raiders protection

Factors per recreation allowed: 25.5 (twenty fifth)
First downs per recreation allowed: 19.0 (eighth)
Yards per recreation allowed: 333.1 (fifteenth)
Yards per play allowed: 5.4 (fifteenth)
EPA per play allowed: 0.016 (sixteenth)
Success price allowed: 43.4% (eleventh)

Passing protection

Whole touchdowns allowed: 29 (twenty sixth)
First downs per recreation allowed: 11.4 (nineteenth)
Yards per recreation allowed: 216.2 (fifteenth)
Yards per try allowed: 7.1 (twenty first)
EPA per play allowed: 0.088 (seventeenth)
Success price allowed: 47.4% (twenty first)

Dashing protection

Whole touchdowns allowed: 14 (fifteenth)
First downs per recreation allowed: 6.0 (seventh)
Yards per recreation allowed: 116.9 (thirteenth)
Yards per try allowed: 4.4 (sixteenth)
EPA per play allowed: -0.098 (fifteenth)
Success price allowed: 37.2% (seventh)

Situational protection

Early down EPA per play allowed: -0.017 (eighth)
Early down success price allowed: 42.6% (eleventh)
Late down EPA per play allowed: 0.130 (twenty fourth)
Late down success price allowed: 46.3% (sixteenth)

Quotes

An inside take a look at new Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham from his former gamers

From Dan Duggan for The Athletic (Jan. 14, 2020)

[Joe] Decide positioned a heavy emphasis on educating as a prerequisite for his assistants. Graham meets that standards.

“I really felt like as a defensive lineman, having him, he was so technically smart,” stated [Avery] Moss, who was in Graham’s defensive position room with the Giants as a rookie. “He’s one of those coaches that will over-coach somebody. He’s so smart, if you talk to him, you’re going to know he’s a Yale graduate. He’s a stickler about stuff, but I really feel like he knows his stuff.”

Patrick Graham Is Making a Defensive Masterpiece

From Greg Bishop for Sports activities Illustrated (Sept. 7, 2021)

Earlier than the Black Picasso painted his first brushstroke onto a white board, he started coaching for a soccer evolution he didn’t know existed. Graham devours Tom Clancy novels, research spy motion pictures and picks up complicated math and science ideas with ease. He’s a “nerd-in-training,” which means he’s analytical, comfy with numbers and processes—lengthy earlier than groups embrace these precise traits of their soccer coaches.

Why Patrick Graham’s Raiders protection might quickly have him in line for a head teaching job

From Tashan Reed for The Athletic (Jan. 2, 2024)

The Raiders protection has been reworked. This season, Graham’s unit is eighth within the NFL in scoring protection. The Raiders haven’t completed within the high 10 in that statistic since 2002. A number of the credit score has to go to Graham.

“He’s doing a great job leading us and putting us in great positions, and we have a lot of guys that are bought in,” defensive finish Maxx Crosby stated earlier this season. “Everyone’s on the same page.”

How Patrick Graham’s adaptability spurred Raiders’ defensive renaissance

From Ted Nguyen for The Athletic (Jan. 15, 2024)

“There’s no Pat Graham playbook,” Graham stated. “Yeah, there’s stuff that comes from my New England time, my time at Green Bay. But to me, it’s all about who do you have. What pieces do you have?”

… There are a whole lot of coaches who say that they tailor their scheme to the strengths of their gamers however when the rubber meets the street, they revert to what they know finest. What we’ve seen within the 5 years that Graham has been a coordinator is adaptability — the one high quality that Belichick’s disciples failed to copy once they branched out.

Obvious pluses

As Nguyen splendidly analyzed above, Graham adapts his scheme to his gamers quite than the opposite means round. His goal whereas recreation planning is to take away the opposition’s largest energy. Graham “gets it” philosophically.
Just like Ben Johnson, a energy of Graham’s is that he’s drawn in concepts from numerous teaching bushes quite than having been born and raised in a single system. Belichick has clearly had an enormous impression on him, however Graham’s additionally labored underneath Steve Spagnuolo, Mike Pettine, Brian Flores, and different defensive maestros.
Although he hasn’t been part of any really elite defenses since his days in New England, the Graham impact remains to be evident all through his stops. The 2016 Giants have been probably the most improved protection within the league that 12 months, and the Packers, Dolphins and Raiders improved underneath him as properly.

Lingering questions

Is Graham head coach materials? Some coaches are merely higher suited as coordinators. Graham deserves a shot to show that he’s head coach materials, however since he’s but to get that shot, whether or not he has the products to guide a complete group will stay a query.
Would he have the ability to rent a robust employees? Each assistant coach issues, however particularly these on the offensive facet of the ball since Trevor Lawrence is on the staff. Graham’s choice for offensive coordinator can be main.
What’s Graham’s id? The Jaguars want a brand new tradition. Doug Pederson by no means had a constant message for what he needed his soccer staff to be. Whoever the following head coach is should be higher about speaking the group’s core values.

Jaguars followers, how do you’re feeling about Graham? Tell us within the feedback!