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  Article by Dan Tortora

  The Syracuse connective bridge to Jacksonville is something I have come to know all too well.

  Covering the Jacksonville Jaguars for the past nine years and counting, there has been the constant reminder that they have never lost sight of Syracuse, New York, dating back to the 1998 National Football League (NFL) Draft, when they selected former Orange defensive back Donovin Darius in the first round (25th overall). 

  Heading into the 2017-18 NFL season, the Jaguars' Executive Vice President of Football Operations (Tom Coughlin) and Head Coach (Doug Marrone) are both former Orange players.

  Jacksonville Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Running Backs Coach Tyrone Wheatley are each former Syracuse assistant coaches, who served under Marrone during his time with the Orange.

  Following the end of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Jaguars made one more connection in the form of giving an opportunity to an undrafted free agent, wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo.

  In one season (2016) with Syracuse after transferring from the Maryland Terrapins, Etta-Tawo totaled 1,482 receiving yards. Conversely, Etta-Tawo had accumulated 938 in three seasons combined with Maryland.

  He had three touchdowns in three seasons with the Terrapins, following that by rising to 14 receiving touchdowns in 2016 alone.

  To say that Etta-Tawo elevated his output in his final collegiate season, therefore, would be a severe understatement. He, at one time, was leading the nation in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game, and was on a short national list for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given out yearly to the country's most outstanding receiver.

  Etta-Tawo would have been a steal in the fourth or fifth round.

  As an undrafted free agent, he is quietly entering into an opportunity, something he is all too familiar with.

  He reports to Jacksonville on May 11th, which is a little over five hours from his hometown of Powder Springs, Georgia, giving Coughlin the chance to oversee him 19 years after overseeing Donovin Darius.